Top Trump Spox Declares ‘Only the President Knows… What He Will Do’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday claimed only President Donald Trump knows what he’ll do after the deadline he set for Iran to make a deal.

Trump has said that the Iranians have until 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday to reach a deal with the U.S. to end the war. Based on his previous comments, the president is seeking the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a lasting ceasefire, and the end of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, among other things. At the time of writing, the two sides had not yet reached a deal.

Complicating things even further on Tuesday morning was a grim threat posted by Trump. On Truth Social, Trump declared that “a whole civilization will die tonight.” He also claimed that he didn’t want it to happen, but that “it probably will.”

That post sent the political world into a frenzy, with countless figures calling for Trump’s removal from office. Some even accused Trump of expressing genocidal intent, as his post made no mention of the Iranian regime and he explicitly threatened to obliterate all of Iran.

Shortly after that post, it was reported that Iran had cut off communication with the U.S. as a direct result of Trump’s threat. Iranian state media, however, insisted that talks were still on.

Asked by The Hill’s Julia Manchester about the ongoing talks with Iran, Leavitt said:

The Iranian regime has until 8PM Eastern Time to meet the moment and make a deal with the United States. Only the President knows where things stand and what he will do.

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