3 weeks ago
Trump: Advisers Wanted Him Off Air Force One in Turkey
The president of the United States has a special airplane called Air Force One.
When President Trump left a meeting in Turkey, he was told to go on a different airplane.
The people who keep the president safe had heard that someone might try to attack his plane.
So their plan was to send the big, famous airplane into the sky without the president inside.
Meanwhile, President Trump hid and quietly got onto another plane.
He traveled safely to Britain, where he got back on Air Force One without anyone noticing.
A newspaper called The Washington Post found out about the secret plan and wrote a story about it.
President Trump said he was only doing what the Secret Service and the military told him to do.
Some experts say hiding where the president is for so long was very unusual and risky.
They believe reporters should always be able to see where the president is, so the American people can know what is happening.
President Trump confirmed the Secret Service and military wanted him on a different plane leaving Turkey due to a threat.
The Washington Post reported Trump hid in an airport catering container while Air Force One flew as a decoy amid fears of a credible Iranian attack.
Trump traveled in a smaller government aircraft to Britain, then returned to Air Force One undetected.
The White House has neither confirmed nor denied the reports; communications director Steven Cheung said officials "use every tool at our disposal" against threats.
Experts say concealing the president's whereabouts for weeks is believed to be unprecedented, unlike past covert trips where the press pool was briefed.
- Who
- President Donald Trump, the Secret Service and U.S. military advisers, White House officials, and the traveling press corps; the report first appeared in The Washington Post.
- What
- Trump secretly flew on a different plane out of Turkey while Air Force One flew without him as a decoy over a reported credible threat of attack, reportedly from Iran.
- Where
- Turkey (departure), the United Kingdom (stopover), and Ohio (where Trump commented); article references covert presidential trips involving Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and India.
- When
- In July, after a NATO summit in Turkey; Trump confirmed the details on a Tuesday following a trip to Ohio.
- Why
- To protect the president from a credible threat of an attack that officials feared Iran might carry out against Air Force One.
Security officials' view
Press and experts' view
Secret travel out of Turkey
Security officials' view
The Secret Service and military wanted Trump on a different plane because of a credible threat, and he simply had to do what they said; every available tool should be used to protect the president from enemies.
Press and experts' view
Keeping the president's whereabouts hidden for weeks is believed to be unprecedented; experts warn that for a period no one could independently corroborate the president's status or who was in charge of the U.S. government.
Role of the press pool
Security officials' view
Security and operational secrecy outweigh informing the traveling press; reporters were not told which plane carried the president.
Press and experts' view
The press corps provides independent and transparent corroboration of the president's whereabouts, protecting "the presidency and democracy"; hiding the trip from reporters undermines that essential role.
Comparison with past covert trips
Security officials' view
Presidents have long taken secret trips to war zones for security reasons, including Biden, Bush, Obama, Clinton, Johnson and Nixon.
Press and experts' view
Despite secrecy, past presidents generally briefed or documented trips with the press (e.g., Clinton's briefed press pool, Biden's documented Ukraine visit); Trump's concealment and lack of full White House disclosure are different.
Key facts
- President
- Donald Trump
- Security decisions
- Secret Service and U.S. military
- Reported threat
- Credible threat of attack, reportedly from Iran
- Method
- Stowed away in airport catering container; flew on smaller government aircraft
- Decoy aircraft
- Air Force One flew without Trump aboard
- Route
- Turkey to the United Kingdom, then back aboard Air Force One
- First reported by
- The Washington Post
- White House response
- Neither confirmed nor denied; cited use of every tool against threats
Quotes
Steven Cheung
White House communications director
“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”
republicworld.com
“I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane.”
republicworld.com
Sources
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