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

WASHINGTON, DC: One of President Donald Trump’s most trusted aides during his second term, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has announced that she will leave her role at the end of August. Leavitt said she is stepping down to focus on her family. 

Her departure, however, quickly sparked speculation online, with some social media users linking her decision to a recent security incident involving Trump’s trip to Turkiye. 

As speculation spread online, users questioned whether Leavitt was aboard Trump’s so-called “decoy plane” and whether her departure was connected to the incident.

Claim: Karoline Leavitt was on Trump's decoy plane

Karoline Leavitt recently became a mother for the second time. The 28-year-old took time off during her pregnancy.

When Leavitt returned in June, she appeared determined to continue working at the White House. This led many people to question why she announced her departure just over a month after returning. Leavitt said she was leaving to focus on her family, but some social media users offered other theories.

Some users linked her departure to a recent incident involving Trump’s trip to Turkiye. Reports said Trump was secretly transferred from Air Force One to another aircraft because of security concerns. Some of his aides reportedly stayed on the original plane as part of the security operation.

CBS News reported that more than 100 staff members and reporters were on the decoy plane, including Karoline Leavitt.

A video also surfaced online that allegedly showed Leavitt aboard the Air Force One decoy plane at Ankara Airport on the evening of July 8. One X user shared the video and suggested that her departure from the White House might be connected to the incident, writing:

“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?”

“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,” one user wrote. “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 claim is false. While reports indicate that Karoline Leavitt was aboard the decoy plane during Trump’s secret aircraft switch in Turkiye, there is no evidence that the incident influenced her decision to leave the White House.

Leavitt also said she decided to leave the position to focus on her family. In a detailed post on X, she explained that after returning to the White House following the birth of her daughter, she felt she could not give both her job and her two young children the time and attention they deserved.

“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.

Trump also said in a Truth Social post that Leavitt would remain a close aide even after leaving her role as White House press secretary.