Kehinde Adegoke | International Agencies
The “decoy” Air Force One carrying members of the press corps and senior officials was escorted by U.S. fighter jets on its flight from Ankara, Turkey, to the United Kingdom, a senior Trump administration official confirmed Wednesday.
The revelation counters concerns that reporters and staff aboard the decoy aircraft were left exposed to potential threats after President Donald Trump switched planes last month. The extraordinary security measure underscores the precautions surrounding the covert aircraft swap, which saw the plane typically associated with Trump continue to the U.K. without him.
On board the decoy flight were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and the travelling press pool, who were aware Trump was not aboard. Passengers were instructed to keep window shades closed throughout the journey, preventing them from seeing the fighter escort. A Secret Service agent reinforced the order mid-flight, and photographers who briefly opened shades were told to close them again.
At Ankara’s airport, there was little outward sign of the switch. Press vans were positioned far back in the motorcade, and photographers did not see Trump board an aircraft from their usual vantage point. Reporters boarded the plane as normal, greeted by snack bags bearing the presidential seal, before being told to keep the cabin darkened.
Trump later explained that the decision to change planes was made by the Secret Service and the military. “It’s only up to the Secret Service; I just follow what they’d like to do,” he told reporters after arriving in Geneva, Ohio. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety — but they wanted me to do it, so I did it.”
The State Department declined to comment on the fighter jet escort. Trump suggested the aircraft he ultimately traveled on may have faced greater danger once the swap was made.
