President was moved through Ankara airport in a catering truck amid an Iranian threat, while senior officials, staff and journalists continued aboard the aircraft meant to disguise his movements
By Saqib S. Qureshi
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was secretly taken off Air Force One during a tightly guarded security operation in Turkey while members of his Cabinet, White House staff and journalists remained aboard the aircraft as it continued its journey as a decoy, according to newly disclosed details of the extraordinary presidential movement.
Trump confirmed the operation after reporting revealed that U.S. security officials had received intelligence about a potential Iranian assassination threat during his trip to Turkey.
The president had initially boarded Air Force One publicly in Ankara, giving observers every reason to believe he would leave aboard the presidential aircraft.
He did not.
Trump was quietly taken off the plane and moved across the airport inside a catering truck before boarding a smaller U.S. military C-32A aircraft.
Only a small circle accompanied him during the covert transfer.
Members of Trump's Cabinet did not make the secret switch with the president, according to Reuters. Other White House personnel and journalists also remained aboard Air Force One, unaware of the full operation as the aircraft continued to serve as a diversion.
The unusual arrangement meant that, for a period of time, the aircraft most likely to be identified by an adversary as carrying the U.S. president was traveling without him — but with other senior American officials and personnel aboard.
Trump said Tuesday that the Secret Service and military made the security decisions and that he followed their instructions.
He also pushed back against suggestions that those left aboard Air Force One were necessarily placed in greater danger.
Trump said the smaller aircraft carrying him may actually have faced a higher risk because Air Force One had significantly greater defensive capabilities.
That distinction is important. There is no publicly established evidence that the Secret Service knowingly left Cabinet officials, staff or journalists aboard an aircraft it believed was about to be attacked.
But the disclosure has opened questions about how the threat was assessed, who aboard the decoy aircraft knew about the operation and what protections were put in place for those who remained behind.
The operation had remained secret until reporting brought details of the aircraft switch into public view.
For the Secret Service, disguising a president's movements during a credible threat can be an essential part of presidential protection.
What makes this episode extraordinary is the scale of the deception.
Trump had appeared to board Air Force One.
Much of his traveling party remained aboard.
The aircraft continued moving as though the president was still there.
But Trump was already flying somewhere else.
The episode provides a rare public glimpse into the lengths U.S. security agencies can take when intelligence suggests the president may be targeted — and the difficult security calculations that accompany such a deception.