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Rubio and Bessent Stayed on Decoy Flight From Turkey as Trump Switched Planes, Official Says

Officials said a covert plane swap protected Trump from a possible Iranian missile threat while reporters and top Cabinet members stayed on the decoy aircraft.

  • Following the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, President Donald Trump covertly swapped aircraft using a catering truck, boarding Air Force One before secretly exiting to a smaller government C-32A jet while the main aircraft served as a decoy.
  • Intelligence reports of a potential surface-to-air missile threat from Iran prompted U.S. officials to initiate the maneuver; the National Security Council, White House Military Office, and Secret Service deemed the threat credible and imminent, requiring extraordinary protective measures.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard the decoy aircraft with journalists, who were instructed to keep window shades closed; Rubio was reportedly aware of the threat, though reporters believed Trump traveled with them.
  • On Tuesday, Trump defended the secret swap, telling reporters the military and Secret Service "wanted me to go in a different flight" for safety; he asserted his aircraft faced greater risk, though critics questioned why journalists and Cabinet officials remained aboard the decoy.
  • Upon arriving in England, officials executed a second maneuver to restore appearances that Trump had traveled on the decoy plane, further fueling debate over whether security measures justified leaving journalists and senior officials unknowingly exposed to potential attack.
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By Kevin Liptak, Alayna Treene and Holmes Lybrand, CNN By the time President Donald Trump took the stage at the end of last month's NATO summit in Turkey, the plan to quietly take him out of the country was already underway. Earlier that day, U.S. officials had come to the president with alarming information.The post Why officials decided to take Trump out of Turkey on a catering truck and a secret plane appeared first on KVIA.

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Political Wire broke the news in New York, United States on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
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