PoliticsKaroline Leavitt Denies Being on 'Decoy Plane' as She Says Trump Assassination Scare Controversy Is Not Why She Quit
Leavitt killed a rumor that the decoy plane incident led to her resignation.
Oct. 15 2026, Published 1:40 p.m. ET
Former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dumped cold water on a rumor that she left the gig over being sent to fly on President Donald Trump's "decoy plane" that may have been the target of an assassination attempt.
The 29-year-old squashed the gossip in an Instagram Stories post on October 14.
Leavitt Denies Being on the 'Decoy Plane'
Leavitt squashed the rumor on Instagram.
During a brief Instagram "Ask me a question" survey with Leavitt's followers, one wondered, "Did Trump not tell you about Air Force one [sic] that you were on — aka why you quit?"
The follower was referring to a July 2026 incident in Turkey when Trump was secretly moved off Air Force One and onto a second plane due to a security threat to the president's jet. Other Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were left on Air Force One despite the potential attack.
However, Leavitt revealed she wasn't on the threatened plane, nor on the trip at all. Instead, she was "home with her kids."
Leavitt Insisted the Incident Did Not Have to Do With Her Decision to Leave
Leavitt left in August to spend more time with her family.
Leavitt also insisted that even if she had been on the plane, she wouldn't have quit over being put in ostensible danger.
"Every time you step on Air Force One, you know the risk of traveling with the president," she wrote. "I have been with him to the Middle East before. I have spoken on matters of war at the podium which also comes with great risk. Threats are part of the job."
"That's a stupid online rumor," she added. "Zero truth to it."
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Leavitt Preps a Move to Fox News
Leavitt will be heading to Fox News in November.
Leavitt was on maternity leave between April and July 2026 after the birth of her second child. She took the podium again on July 16, a week after the threat on Air Force One.
She didn't stick around much longer in the White House, as she resigned by the end of August. The mom-of-two said the decision stemmed from her desire to spend more time with her children. Since leaving the White House, she joined Trump's super pac, MAGA Inc., as an outside advisor. She is also joining Fox News as a contributor starting in November.
White House Press Office in Shambles
Katie Zacharia has struggled as Leavitt's successor.
Her presence seems sorely missed in the White House.
She was a favorite of President Trump — to the point where he made weird comments about her "machine gun" lips — but she was also considered to be an excellent press secretary by insiders and Republican commentators.
Her replacement, Katie Zacharia, was handed the position by Trump after little vetting, and she had an awful first day at the podium that reportedly has insiders panicking about her job performance. Some wonder if Zacharia will break Anthony Scaramucci's record of serving a mere 11 days as press secretary, set during Trump's first term.
