Fact Check: Was Karoline Leavitt on Trump’s ‘decoy plane’ in Turkiye?

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent confidantes during his second term, has announced she will be stepping down from her position at the end of August to dedicate more time to her family.

However, her upcoming departure quickly generated a wave of online rumors, with numerous social media commentators attempting to link her exit to a recent high-profile security scare during Trump’s diplomatic trip to Turkiye. 

As the rumors circulated, online investigators began questioning whether Leavitt had been a passenger on Trump’s designated “decoy plane” and if that security protocol had anything to do with her resignation.

Claim: Karoline Leavitt was on Trump’s decoy plane

Karoline Leavitt, 28, recently welcomed her second child, taking a temporary leave of absence during her pregnancy.

Her return to the White House in June signaled a strong commitment to her demanding schedule, making her sudden resignation announcement just over a month later a surprise to many. While Leavitt maintained that family is her primary motivation for leaving, critics and online commentators were quick to pitch alternative narratives.

A primary driver for these theories was a recent travel log from Trump’s visit to Turkiye, where security protocols dictated that the president be discreetly transferred from Air Force One to a backup aircraft due to unspecified threats. Several members of his administrative team remained on the original flight as part of the decoy operation.

According to reports from CBS News, over 100 reporters and staffers—including Leavitt—were indeed on that decoy aircraft.

Footage also surfaced online purporting to show Leavitt at Ankara Airport on the evening of July 8, boarding the Air Force One decoy flight. Highlighting this timing, one user on X posted:

“Trump announced Karoline Leavitt’s departure to ‘spend more time with family.’ In a LEAKED video from last night, she looks visibly isolated during a tense Marine One exchange with Trump and another woman. Hours later, she’s out. Is the WH covering up something?”

Another user chimed in, “So, the soon-to-depart young mother and wife, Karoline Leavitt, was on the decoy plane and is now leaving the employ of the White House. Things that make me go hmmm. I’m not shocked that she’s leaving, but to me, the timing is interesting.”

Fact Check: False

The rumor connecting her resignation to the flight security incident is entirely unfounded. Although Karoline Leavitt was indeed among the personnel on the decoy aircraft during the secret plane switch in Turkiye, there is zero indication that the event played any role in her decision to exit the administration.

Leavitt reiterated that her resignation stems entirely from a desire to prioritize her home life. In a comprehensive statement shared on X, she noted that after coming back to the West Wing following her daughter’s birth, she struggled to balance the relentless demands of the press secretary position with the needs of her two young children.

“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary,” Leavitt wrote.

Additionally, President Trump indicated via a post on Truth Social that Leavitt will remain an influential and trusted advisor even after officially stepping down from the podium.