Trump Secretly Swapped Planes In Turkey Amid Iran Threat, Leaving Staff And Reporters Behind
An unusual story is unfolding of a plane switcheroo that may have unknowingly left reporters and members of President Trump’s own administration in danger. The president is downplaying his role in the subterfuge, which saw him secretly switching planes during a trip abroad amid threats of an assassination attempt, all while leaving the people meant to be traveling with him in the dark about what actually happened.
Trump secretly switched planes, leaving staff and reporters, over threat of attack
President Trump created mild confusion during an international NATO summit in July when he switched from using a new presidential plane that was controversially donated by Qatar to an older plane as he flew out of Turkey at the end of the event. At the time, sources said the switch came because the Qatari plane did not have the same safety measures onboard as the older Air Force One jet. Now, it has been revealed that Trump did not fly out of Turkey on either aircraft. Instead, as first reported by the Washington Post, after boarding the older Air Force One, Trump secretly slipped off the plane and into a catering truck, which took him to a military aircraft that he used to fly to London. Meanwhile, the president’s entourage, including cabinet officials and members of the press, boarded the older presidential plane and flew out of Turkish airspace, falsely believing they were traveling with the president. Footage from the president’s departure shows him boarding the older Air Force One while the catering truck is parked next to the aircraft, as well as the truck later driving away while reporters board the plane.
All three aircraft landed in London, where Trump secretly reboarded the older presidential plane, publicly deboarded, and then boarded the Qatari funded plane for his return trip to the United States. The elaborate secret switch came in response to a potential threat that Iranian operatives were targeting Trump’s plane in an assassination attempt as retaliation for the ongoing U.S. war against Iran. The New York Times reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who flew from Turkey on the older plane, knew about and helped plan the presidential switch. However, it is unclear whether other White House staffers on the plane, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, knew about the switch when they flew. And the members of the White House Press Corps who flew on the plane were left in the dark about the plan.
Divided opinions as Trump downplays plane switch
The secretive nature of the plan, and the fact that reporters and possibly even cabinet officials were left on the aircraft that was feared to be targeted by Iranian assassins, has led to outrage that Trump left these fellow travelers in danger as he was secreted out of Turkey. “They just didn’t seem to give a second thought to anybody but the president and the few people who were with him,” said Joe Lockhart, who served as White House Press Secretary under Bill Clinton. Lockhart contrasted the Turkey trip with a 2000 trip he took with Clinton to Pakistan. “We went out of our way to make sure the maximum number of people, especially civilians, were protected and not human shields. They didn’t even think about it. And to me, that’s the big difference.” Others, however, have defended Trump. Joseph W. Hagin, who helped organize trips by President George W. Bush to dangerous locations and later served as Deputy White House Chief of Staff during the first Trump presidency, defended the secret plan to keep Trump safe. “When you go to work at the White House or travel with the president, you are accepting a not-insignificant degree of risk,” Hagin argued, maintaining that the secrecy was necessary for Trump’s safety.
President Trump, meanwhile, has attempted to distance himself from the controversy, saying that the secret switch was not his call. “I go by Secret Service, and the military,” he told reporters Tuesday in his first comments on the story. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.” Trump also dismissed concerns that he had left the passengers of the Air Force One flight at risk. “I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk, I think it was at greater risk, because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.” When asked if he had been specifically worried about a shoulder-fired missile being fired at his plane, as was the reported threat against Air Force One, Trump gave a nonchalant response. “I don’t worry about anything, to be honest. Whatever it is. You know what my attitude (is): whatever.”
Even though Trump may not think his plane switch is a big deal, others are calling him out for seeming to leave journalists and even members of his own staff at risk in order to protect himself. While the NATO trip fortunately ended with all involved arriving at their destination safely, the incident raises questions about the president’s leadership and the extent to which his interests are placed above those of others.
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