Trump’s new press secretary has a history of pushing banana conspiracy theories

Read the original at The Independent ↗
The Independent · collected 2026-10-11 · by Isabel Keane
Content note This article describes abuse of a child.

Quick Summary

Katie Zacharia, President Trump's newly appointed White House press secretary, has been found to have shared conspiracy theories on her Truth Social account. She promoted the debunked Pizzagate theory and accused Democrats like John Podesta of being pedophiles. Additionally, she expressed support for QAnon, another baseless conspiracy theory, suggesting a deeper alignment with fringe beliefs. The revelations come from a report by Popular Information published on Sunday.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Donald Trump has chosen Katie Zacharia, a conservative commentator and former spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security under Kristi Noem, to be the next White House press secretary. This role has been vacant since Karoline Leavitt left in late August after the birth of her second child. The New York Times was first to report on this selection. Zacharia currently works as a communications adviser for Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, President Trump's social media platform. She briefly served at Homeland Security from February to March 2023 before leaving abruptly.

Written for “Katie Zacharia New White House Press …” on 2026-10-12, grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans left for article 72823 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-12

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
25
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
24%
6 of 25 hedged
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Correction & hedging signals
58.7
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
16
Politics
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-10-12 · how these are computed

Story

📰 Katie Zacharia New White House Press …
Politics · 16 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 24% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right further right than this 🔴 20% hedged 1 of 5 📰 publisher trust 65
“Both articles describe Donald Trump appointing Katie Zacharia as White House press secretary on the same date.”
BBC News
⚖️ Leans right further right than this 🔴 22% hedged 2 of 9 📰 publisher trust 72
“Both articles discuss Katie Zacharia being appointed as the new White House press secretary on the same day, with Article B providing additional context about her background.”
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 2 of 14 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on Katie Zacharia being selected as the new White House press secretary, referencing the same person and position.”
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 3 📰 publisher trust 61
“Article A reports on Katie Zacharia being offered a press secretary role, while Article B discusses her appointment and past actions. They describe different phases or aspects of an ongoing development.”
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans right further right than this 🔴 14% hedged 3 of 21 📰 publisher trust 68
“While both articles discuss Katie Zacharia's appointment as Trump's press secretary, ARTICLE B focuses on her past controversial social media activity rather than reporting on the same specific event described in ARTICLE A.”
The Straits Times
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 3 of 22 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the appointment of Katie Zacharia as Trump's new White House press secretary on October 9, 2026.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans right further right than this 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 25 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles discuss Katie Zacharia being appointed as the new White House press secretary for Donald Trump.”
ABC News (US)
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 4 📰 publisher trust 59
“While both articles discuss Katie Zacharia being offered or appointed as White House Press Secretary, Article B is reporting on her background and previous actions rather than describing the same specific hiring incident.”
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Centre further right than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 4 📰 publisher trust 60
“While both articles discuss Katie Zacharia being offered or appointed as White House press secretary, Article B is about her background and beliefs rather than the specific appointment event.”
The Guardian
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 20% hedged 1 of 5 📰 publisher trust 68
“While both articles discuss Katie Zacharia being appointed as White House press secretary, Article A focuses on the announcement of her appointment and her background, while Article B discusses subsequent revelations about her past online activities. These are related but distinct events.”

Publisher

The Independent · 2069 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Isabel Keane
53 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration.”
🔮 If El-Sayed is elected, he would become America’s first Muslim senator.
🔮 The deceased will be taken to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for autopsies.
2026-10-11 · assertive framing · Georgia family of 5 dead in apparent murder-suicide
🔮 An Ohio political blogger is set to stand trial after allegedly sending a state senator an obscene image of the cartoon ogre Shrek with his penis exposed.
🔮 Doe spent the following day taping paper to the windows of the home to prevent anyone from peering inside — out of fear that a gunman would target them, her lawyer said.
🔮 “I was like, ‘There’s no way that this would happen to me right now,” she added.
🔮 During the meeting, Garimella told the fraternity presidents to “step up and be accountable for the men in their chapters,” Lieberman wrote, noting that they were told the university would be “forced to act” if they didn’t meet this expectation.
🔮 Children with EV-D68 may also have fever or develop more serious symptoms like difficulty breathing or pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
🔮 Fewer Americans will be hired for seasonal work this holiday season as many companies have been quiet about their upcoming hiring plans, according to a report.
🔮 The company’s plan is to close its order-with-pickup stores in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., on October 18, while its Annapolis, Maryland, location will shutter October 30.
Also by Isabel Keane
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 53 articles by Isabel Keane →

Topics

Democrats Fox News Hollywood Pizzagate Truth Social

Subjects

Zacharia PERSON · 9× Trump PERSON · 6× Democrats NORP · 5× Truth Social ORG · 4× Fox News ORG · 3× Hollywood GPE · 3× White House ORG · 3× John Podesta PERSON · 2× Podesta PERSON · 2× Independent NORP · 1×

Narrative

Zacharia replied to the post, writing, “I was wondering the same thing…” When asked about Zacharia’s promotion of conspiracy theories, the White House referred The Independent to Trump’s Truth Social post announcing Zacharia’s appointment on Friday. Trump wrote that it was his “great honor” to name Zacharia as his latest press secretary.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-12
🔮 “I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration.”

Claims (25 extracted, 6 hedged)

The newly appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia previously promoted the debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory and shared posts accusing Democrats and Hollywood elites of being pedophiles and cannibals. asserted
secretary → appoint → Democrats
Zacharia, who previously worked as a communications adviser for the president’s Trump Media and Technology Group, shared her deep belief in Pizzagate — as well as other fringe beliefs — on her Truth Social account, according to a report published Sunday by Popular Information. uncertain
who → work → Information
The fledgling press secretary’s Truth Social posts reveal a deep belief in Pizzagate, the unfounded conspiracy that prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign chairman John Podesta, were involved in a child sex trafficking ring. asserted
Democrats → reveal → ring
Pizzagate baselessly claims that Clinton, Podesta and other powerful Democrats ran their sex trafficking business out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong. uncertain
Clinton → claim → pizzeria
Zacharia, 41, was so invested in shining a light on the theory that she took to Truth Social on several occasions to try to urge Fox News to report on it. asserted
she → shin → it
“[W]hy doesn’t Fox News do a ‘feature’ on what a pedophile Podesta is,” she wrote on Truth Social on September 7, 2022, tagging President Donald Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity. asserted
she → do → Trump
On September 4, 2022, when it was announced that Podesta had agreed to work in the Biden White House, Zacharia posted “Pedo Podesta. #pedoPodesta.” asserted
Zacharia → announce → Podesta
Later that day, the California native also wrote, “The radical left Hollywood elites are sick pedo cannibals. asserted
elites → write → ?
Zacharia continued her petitioning to Hannity a month later, writing on October 17, 2022, “[W]here’s the feature on John Podesta?” asserted
feature → continue → Podesta
She also shared a post on Truth Social earlier that year that read: “Democrats want to mask and rape your children. asserted
Democrats → share → children
That’s their satanic platform,” according to the report. uncertain
That → ’ → report
The new press secretary has also previously publicized her support of QAnon, a conspiracy theory that originated in 2017 as a result of Pizzagate. asserted
that → publicize → Pizzagate
The theory claims that Trump is secretly fighting a child-abuse group consisting of Democrats, Hollywood and “the deep state.” uncertain
Trump → claim → Democrats
The details of Trump’s apparent fight against pedophiles, according to believers, are revealed through coded messages from the president and online postings from an anonymous account known as Q. Zacharia responded to a Truth Social user in November 2022 who shared some thoughts on the theory: “Did you notice Trump drinking bottled water last night during his announcement? uncertain
Trump → accord → announcement
He drank at least 2-3 times. asserted
He → drink → times
I have not seen him do that at his speeches or rallies. asserted
him → see → speeches
It reminds me of Q posts 765, 767, and 847. asserted
It → remind → posts
Zacharia replied to the post, writing, “I was wondering the same thing…” When asked about Zacharia’s promotion of conspiracy theories, the White House referred The Independent to Trump’s Truth Social post announcing Zacharia’s appointment on Friday. Trump wrote that it was his “great honor” to name Zacharia as his latest press secretary. asserted
it → reply → secretary
The appointment fills a role that had been left vacant since August, when former press secretary Karoline Leavitt resigned to spend more time with her two young children. asserted
Leavitt → fill → children
“She was previously involved in my Campaigns, assisting in key Swing States, where we won 7 out of 7. asserted
we → involve → 7
She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning. asserted
She → have → beginning
She is, likewise, a devoted fan and member of MAGA,” Trump wrote in the post. asserted
Trump → write → post
“I am confident that Katie will deliver strong results for our Country as the next White House Press Secretary, as she has the respect of, and will work fantastically with, the Media, the American People, and my Administration.” asserted
she → deliver → respect
In addition to working for the president’s Trump Media and Technology Group, Zacharia, spent roughly a month working at the Department of Homeland Security as a spokesperson earlier this year, according to her LinkedIn. uncertain
Zacharia → work → LinkedIn
She has also been a longtime conservative commentator, writing an op-ed declaring Trump “the greatest president in U.S. history,” in The New York Post earlier this year. asserted
Trump → write → Post
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