Karoline Leavitt’s Response to Nantucket Detainees Sparks Outrage

On May 27, 2025, 12 or more people were detained on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket. The Department of Homeland Security shared a post on its official X account to explain, “ICE is removing illegal aliens from ALL states, communities, and worksites across this country. If you are here illegally use the CBP Home app to self-deport. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.” After ICE detained the people who were suspected of being in the country illegally on Nantucket, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made her own post on X to share her thoughts.

Leavitt shared a tweet made by Nantucket Current, in which a video showed the detainees on a boat headed off the island. In response to the tweet, Leavitt wrote the words “bye bye!” with a waving hand emoji. Since Leavitt’s department in President Donald Trump‘s administration does not have anything to do with ICE raids or ensuring the safety of the American public, people were confused by her . And many replied to her post on X to question her directly.

Karoline Leavitt shared a tweet about the Nantucket detainees.

Bye bye! 👋 https://t.co/C8xlxdSPj0

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) May 28, 2025

Sometimes, less is more. But when it comes to comments about the state of the country and Leavitt’s thoughts on how it is being run, that phrase doesn’t have much use for her. After she made the X post about the Nantucket detainees and shared her support for ICE and DHS, she kept the post up. Even after other users replied to the tweet to share their disappointment at what some saw as her unprofessional behavior.

“I’m confused. Jesus talks about kindness and empathy, but this overtly ‘Christian’ woman, who is also Press Secretary for the POTUS, is openly mocking the damned,” someone replied to the tweet. “Would she have lined the streets and sarcastically told Jesus ‘bye bye’ as he carried his cross to his fate? I bet so.”

Another user responded: “This is a bad look for all politics. This is what we have come to? This is how our press secretary acts? Have to act professionally and like role models to our young. That is not what you are doing.”

Some commenters thought it was improper for her to post so casually.

For some, it’s one thing to comment on an issue like deporting individuals from the US, but it is an entirely different thing to share a snarky comment about it, complete with an emoji, as someone who works in the White House and works so closely with the president. According to some of the comments on X, that’s where Leavitt comes in, and some users felt disappointed in her, even if they had supported her before.

“How unprofessional!” someone replied to the tweet. “You are a disgrace to the Nation and your so called ‘Christian Values’!”

Another user took a dig at Leavitt and her husband and wrote, “Nantucket holds a special place in Karolines heart. That’s where she married her groomer…. I mean groom.”

Another user said that Leavitt gives off “racist energy” and that they believe she wasn’t the right pick as press secretary. Unfortunately for that individual, it doesn’t look like Leavitt is abandoning her post any time soon. Apparently, that also means sharing her commentary about current events on social media, even if it angers people opposed to Trump’s administration.