PNN – The Associated Press has claimed that two U.S. cabinet members left a NATO meeting in Turkey on a flight that did not carry Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, citing a senior U.S. official, the Associated Press reported that two high-ranking members of Donald Trump’s cabinet flew back from last month’s NATO meeting in Turkey on a plane that was effectively a decoy, while Trump had been secretly transferred to a smaller military jet due to alleged threats of assassination by Iran.
An unnamed official, speaking to the Associated Press, claimed that the two ministers in question were Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The official stated, “Rubio was aware of Trump’s relocation and the details of the threat prompting the move.”
However, the official did not explain why Rubio himself remained on the same plane. He also added that Bessent was likely aware of the situation as well.
The Associated Press reported that security measures for the U.S. President are far more stringent than those for his most senior cabinet members, particularly given that he has already been the target of several failed assassination attempts.
The Aircraft Switch and the Ruse
Trump had flown to the annual NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara aboard a refurbished jet—painted in red, white, and navy blue—that was a gift from Qatar. However, before leaving Turkey, he claimed he intended to complete part of the return journey on the older “Air Force One” aircraft (painted light blue).
At the time, the U.S. President claimed that this new luxury jet had departed Ankara ahead of his own flight so that U.S. troops stationed in eastern England would have the opportunity to tour it.
However, The Washington Post claimed this week that on the return flight from Turkey, Trump was not actually aboard the usual Air Force One; instead, to thwart a potential assassination plot by Iran, he was transferred to a different jet via a food service cart.
This ruse was carried out while White House reporters and staff believed they were flying back to Washington on the very plane carrying the President.
Previously, The New York Times and CBS News had reported that intelligence officials warned of a potential attack on the President or his aircraft—a warning that prompted special security measures and the cancellation of the use of a new plane gifted by Qatar for the first leg of Trump’s return journey.