Iran makes explosive claim on Karoline Leavitt exit, hints at WH betrayal behind the resignation

Embassy post claims Trump left Leavitt on plane evacuated from Turkey to evade alleged threat in Ankara
The Iranian Embassy in South Africa posted a photograph of Leavitt on X and celebrated her resignation, and tied her exit to the alleged Air Force One deception. (@karolineleavitt/Instagram)
The Iranian Embassy in South Africa posted a photograph of Leavitt on X and celebrated her resignation, and tied her exit to the alleged Air Force One deception. (@karolineleavitt/Instagram)

WASHINGTON, DC: The resignation episode of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has taken a shocking turn with an explosive claim by Iran about why Leavitt announced the sudden exit.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday, August 12,  announced her resignation and said that she will leave the demanding job at the end of the month to focus on her children and family.

Iran claims Leavitt left after Trump betrayed her on decoy plane

Iran’s embassy in South Africa has linked Leavitt’s resignation to a reported deception involving President Donald Trump’s departure from Turkey.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 15: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt took questions on the Trump administration's plan to block federal grants and contracts from Harvard University, deportations, a Russia peace deal with Ukraine and other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The Iranian Embassy in South Africa posted a photograph of Leavitt on X and celebrated her resignation, and tied her exit to the alleged Air Force One deception.



The embassy post claimed that Trump left Leavitt on the plane he evacuated in Turkey to evade an alleged threat while departing from Ankara, as he escaped on another aircraft.

The post described the episode as a betrayal by Trump, which led to Leavitt’s immediate resignation. The post also mocked Trump over his reported use of a catering truck during the operation.

President Donald Trump speaks to members of press aboard Air Force One on November 14, 2025 while in flight from Washington, DC to West Palm Beach International Airport. Trump is scheduled to spend the weekend at his Mar-A-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks to members of press aboard Air Force One on November 14, 2025 while in flight from Washington, DC to West Palm Beach International Airport. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

However, the Iranian embassy hasn’t provided any evidence to back its shocking claim, and the White House has said Leavitt was not on the flight involved in the episode.

According to a report by Forbes,  the White House told Snopes that the claim was false and that Leavitt was not on the trip. “This is not true; she was not on the trip,” White House told the fact-checking website.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who reported on the ruse, also told Snopes that neither she nor Leavitt was on the flight.

Why Leavitt suddenly announced her exit from WH

While announcing her decision, Leavitt said she wanted to spend more time with her family and could not give her two young children the time she believed they deserved while handling the demands of the press secretary's job.

Trump confirmed her resignation shortly after by making a Truth Social post, announcing that she will now be serving as an outside advisor to Trump.



She said that after returning from maternity leave, she could not simultaneously be the mother she wanted to be to her two young children and devote the constant time and energy required by the White House press secretary position.

(X@kleavittnh)
Trump announced that Leavitt will now be serving as an outside advisor to Trump.(X@kleavittnh)

Leavitt gave birth to her second child on May 1. She returned to the White House podium on July 16, although she had resumed work several weeks earlier.

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