Viral posts say Kentucky teacher told Iran to target Trump. She has been placed on leave

Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Austin Horn, Lexington Herald-Leader on Mar 11, 2026

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Viral social media posts are accusing a Woodford County High School teacher of making a video that suggests Iran should target President Donald Trump with an attack on his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.

Woodford County Public Schools is aware of the situation, officials confirmed Wednesday, and the employee has been placed on suspension without pay pending an investigation.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation in accordance with our policies, procedures, and Kentucky law,” Woodford Superintendent Lori Jones told the Herald-Leader.

Jones also said the school district’s police department is working with local law enforcement agencies “to investigate and ensure the safety of our school community,” she said. “Woodford County Public Schools is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment,” Jones said in a district statement. “We have been made aware of a serious situation that may have violated this commitment. As with any personnel matter, we must adhere to strict confidentiality. “

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr is insisting the “threat” should be investigated.

In the video, the woman says people seeking to “retaliate” against the U.S. for military strikes in Iran should consider attacking Mar-a-Lago. The woman suggests “going straight for the heart of America” instead of “attacking a random city and civilians.” She states the White House and the U.S. Capitol are very well-protected, and asks “have you ever heard of a place called Mar-a-Lago?”

The video was boosted on social media by the right-wing account known as Libs of TikTok. The operator of the account, Chaya Raichik, frequently boosts posts from those on the left with controversial content in an attempt to portray liberals as extreme. The account alleged that the woman who originally posted the video is a Woodford County teacher. The Herald-Leader has not been able to independently verify the woman’s identity.

The video has been removed from TikTok, but it was posted to X as well. The woman’s TikTok account has since been made private.

“This is disgusting,” Barr said in a post. “I urge Woodford County High School to ensure this woman is nowhere near children and the @SecretService to investigate this threat against President Trump and Republicans in Congress.”

Asked about the video and Barr’s post, Ralph Gerdes, assistant special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Louisville field office, said the agency takes “every threat seriously.”

“We will not comment on those investigations,” Gerdes said.

The video was widely shared Wednesday morning, more than a week after the U.S. started military action against Iran by coordinating with Israel to launch strikes Feb. 28. Back and forth attacks in the Middle East have continued since then, with a wave of strikes hitting Iran overnight into Wednesday.

Barr, a longtime Central Kentucky Republican congressman, is running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is not seeking reelection to his seat in 2026. He is one of three leading GOP candidates for Senate in Kentucky along with Lexington tech entrepreneur Nate Morris, and former Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

After the initial video was deleted, the woman reiterated some of her statements in a follow-up TikTok video that also was posted to X. “Apparently a lot of you did not like my video asking countries like Iran if they knew that our president spent a lot of time at Mar-a-Lago,” she says in the second video. “You guys reported it enough to get it taken down. I’m going to repeat it: have they checked Mar-a-Lago?”

Trump was set to make an appearance in Kentucky Wednesday. The president, in his second term, was scheduled to speak in Hebron, Kentucky, about affordability, according to the White House.

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