Trump confirmed the secret catering-truck switch from Turkey, telling reporters intelligence indicated an Iranian threat, possibly a shoulder-fired missile, and that intelligence reportedly knew even his hotel floor during the NATO summit in Ankara.
The Washington Post identified passengers on the catering truck as Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, executive assistant Natalie Harp and Director of Oval Office Operations Walt Nauta, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the smaller plane to Britain publicly, appearing to be the senior official aboard.
Journalists and staff left on the decoy Air Force One were told to keep their window shades closed and were led to believe they were traveling with the president; a former Secret Service agent said it is '100% accurate' that people's lives were put at risk simply by being aboard that aircraft.
The article recounts past covert presidential movements, including Biden's secret train to Kyiv, Trump's 2019 Afghanistan trip, and Clinton's 2000 plane swap in Pakistan, none of which involved weeks of total concealment from the traveling press about which plane the president was actually on.
The full dispatch is available from the source below.