Trump Confirms Secret Flight and Decoy Air Force One After Turkey Trip

President Donald Trump was placed at greater risk on a decoy flight than he would have been on a separate aircraft during a clandestine departure from Turkey last month, according to statements made by the president and reporting from multiple news organizations. The operation, executed by the Secret Service and the U.S. military, involved transferring Trump from the legacy Air Force One to a military aircraft via a catering container in Ankara to evade a specific shoulder-fired missile threat.

The Clandestine Departure From Ankara

According to reporting first published by The Washington Post and corroborated by ABC News and CNN, the secret transfer occurred on the final day of a NATO summit in Turkey. A specific threat to Air Force One emerged, prompting officials to fear for the president’s safety if he departed on either the legacy Air Force One or a Qatar-donated jet used for his arrival.

To execute the ruse, officials positioned a catering truck beside Air Force One before the president’s motorcade arrived at the tarmac, as shown in video analysis detailed by CNN. After boarding the larger plane, Trump was transferred via the catering truck’s lowered container to a smaller C-32A military aircraft. The decoy Boeing 747 departed at approximately 8:44 p.m. local time, passing the smaller aircraft carrying the president, which taxied away a minute later.

Passenger Arrangements and Cabinet Distribution

While the decoy flight carried several high-ranking officials and members of the traveling press who were largely unaware that the president was not on board, select individuals accompanied Trump on the smaller aircraft. According to CNN and ABC News, the passengers on the decoy Air Force One included Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled with the president on the smaller C-32A, alongside close personal aides including executive assistant Natalie Harp, deputy White House chief of staff Dan Scavino, and director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta. ABC News reported that Rubio, Bessent, and Hegseth were all aware of the threat and the decision to switch aircraft.

Trump Confirms Security Measures and Details

Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Ohio, Trump confirmed the broad contours of the operation while downplaying the specifics. “It’s only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump told reporters, according to ABC News.

When asked about the safety of the arrangement, Trump argued that the aircraft he occupied was subject to higher danger. I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk, Trump said, as reported by ABC News. I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that we — that they would be more likely to go for.

The White House addressed the security measures in a statement to ABC News, noting, As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats. Following the flight, all participating aircraft landed at a military airbase in Britain, where Trump transitioned to the Qatari-gifted aircraft for the final leg of the journey to Washington.