Trump took secret flight from Turkey with Hegseth; Rubio, Bessent flew on decoy Air Force One: Report
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on the aircraft publicly identified as Air Force One. The flight was reportedly arranged for security reasons, with several White House aides also accompanying the president on the secret aircraft.
Rubio and Bessent were on decoy flight
Rubio and Bessent were aware that Trump was travelling separately, while also maintaining their positions in the line of succession. Other White House officials, including Stephen Miller, Will Scharf, Steven Cheung, Mike Needham, Ross Worthington and Monica Crowley, were reportedly on the decoy flight. The aircraft carrying them was publicly presented as Air Force One, even though Trump was not on board.
Trump secretly switched planes
The operation reportedly involved Trump moving from the publicly identified presidential aircraft to another US government plane with the help of a catering truck.
Video captured by journalists showed Trump boarding the older Air Force One, while a catering vehicle was positioned on the other side of the aircraft. The truck later moved towards another government plane, which The Washington Post identified as an Air Force C-32A.
Trump then travelled separately to a refuelling stop in the UK, while members of the press and other staff continued on the decoy Air Force One.
Security concerns behind secret flight
Trump had announced on July 8 that he would leave Ankara on the older Air Force One instead of the newer aircraft donated by Qatar. He said the decision was partly made “for old time’s sake”, while also explaining that US personnel at the British refuelling stop would get an opportunity to inspect the newer aircraft.
However, BREAKING NEWS later reported that the Secret Service had advised Trump to use the older aircraft for security reasons. Trump later said the decision to place him on a separate flight was made by the military and Secret Service in response to a threat.
Press was unaware Trump was on another plane
The separate flight was not publicly disclosed at the time. Members of the press travelling on the publicly identified Air Force One were reportedly instructed to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed while the aircraft was in Ankara.
The press and the president’s staff later travelled along the same route as Trump, without initially knowing that the president was aboard a different aircraft. Trump eventually switched to the newer presidential aircraft in the UK, continuing his journey to Washington, DC. The newer Air Force One had been donated by the Qatari government and retrofitted by the US Air Force.