Resurfaced Remarks Draw Immediate Condemnation
Katie Zacharia, Trump’s new White House press secretary, is facing intense public backlash following the resurfacing of footage in which she falsely claimed that abortion pills use "the same chemicals" as those used in Nazi death camp gas chambers.
The newly named White House press secretary was under fire after the recorded interview showed her stating that "The abortion pill has the same chemicals that they used in the extermination camps in Nazi Germany to stop the progesterone from flowing and cut off the oxygen to the baby," according to reports from The New York Times.
Zacharia’s selection to succeed Karoline Leavitt as the top White House spokesperson was reported by The New Republic, which noted her previous statements promoting debunked conspiracy theories regarding mifepristone. In the same recorded interview, Zacharia also described her work on Seth Gruber’s White Rose Resistance project as a "blessing and gift," according to The New York Times.
The White House has not issued a formal clarification regarding the remarks, according to International Business Times.
Medical Experts Reject Chemical Comparison
Medical experts and social media users reported that Zacharia’s claims are medically inaccurate. Nazi gas chambers utilized hydrogen cyanide (Zyklon B) and carbon monoxide, whereas mifepristone blocks progesterone receptors and misoprostol is a separate medication.
Neither mifepristone nor misoprostol has the chemical composition of Zyklon B. Medical history documents show that mifepristone was developed in the 1980s by French researcher Dr. Étienne-Émile Baulieu and manufactured by Roussel Uclaf.
Any link between the manufacturers of abortion medication and those involved with Zyklon B stems from later corporate mergers involving Sanofi, rather than any shared chemical composition.
Social Media Users Criticize Appointment
Social media users on X criticized Zacharia’s appointment. One user stated she can "lie with a straight face," while another noted that while many substances contain carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, this does not equate to being the same chemicals used in gas chambers.