Tangent
Leavitt, who is expected to leave her job at the end of the month, called her decision “bittersweet” and said she will “always remain a vocal advocate for MAGA and the Republican Party.” Trump said he understood and respected Leavitt’s decision in a Truth Social post, adding that she will be one of his “top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party.”
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Key Background
Trump was secretly shuttled off an Air Force One jet and taken to a smaller, Air Force Boeing C-32A plane via a catering truck just before departing Ankara, Turkey, on July 8 multiple outlets reported. Trump initially said he would take the older Air Force One plane, instead of the newly outfitted jet from Qatar that he flew to Turkey on, “for old time’s sake.” He took a select few aides with him, including Natalie Harp and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but left two cabinet members, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with other aides and journalists on the trip to Turkey, on the so-called decoy flight, the New York Times reported. The operation happened after U.S. intelligence officials determined a credible threat against the president involving Iran, according to multiple outlets. The legitimacy of the threat, reportedly initiated by Israeli intelligence, has been widely disputed, including by some CIA officials, according to multiple outlets. Iranian state media and Iran’s embassy in South Africa mocked the ruse, posting memes of Trump pictured inside of catering carts full of food.
further reading
Iran Threat Prompted Trump To Secretly Swap Planes While Leaving Turkey, Reports Say (Forbes)
Karoline Leavitt Stepping Down As White House Press Secretary To Focus On Children (Forbes)
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