Rubio and Bessent Stayed on Decoy Flight from Turkey as Trump Secretly Switched Planes

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the two most senior members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, flew back from last month’s NATO summit in Turkey on what was effectively a decoy plane following an Iranian threat. Trump, meanwhile, was secretly moved to a smaller military aircraft, a senior U.S. official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter involved sensitive details about presidential travel, said Rubio was aware that Trump had switched planes and knew about the threat behind the decision. However, it was unclear why Rubio remained on the original aircraft.

The official said Bessent was probably aware of the situation as well, although he could not say that with certainty.

The official emphasized that security precautions for the president are considerably more extensive than those for even the highest-ranking Cabinet officials, particularly because Trump has been the target of several assassination attempts.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the secretary of State and secretary of the Treasury rank in the presidential line of succession after the vice president, the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate.

Trump Changed Planes After Leaving Turkey

Trump traveled to Ankara, Turkey, for the annual NATO summit of allied leaders. He arrived aboard a newly retrofitted red, white and navy-blue jet gifted to him by Qatar.

Before leaving Turkey, however, Trump said he would travel part of the way home aboard an older, light-blue Air Force One aircraft.

At the time, Trump said the new aircraft was being flown ahead of his departure so that U.S. troops stationed in eastern England could have an opportunity to inspect the new presidential plane.

The Washington Post later reported that Trump was not actually aboard the old Air Force One during the return flight from Turkey. Instead, he was secretly moved onto another aircraft to protect him from a possible Iranian assassination plot.

According to the report, Trump was smuggled onto another plane using a catering cart, while journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe that the president was traveling on the same aircraft as them.

Concerns Over an Iranian Attack

Last month, The New York Times and CBS News reported that U.S. intelligence officials had raised concerns about a possible attack against Trump or his aircraft.

Those concerns prompted additional security measures and led officials to decide against using the newly inaugurated Qatari-gifted aircraft for the first leg of Trump's journey home from Ankara.

Trump acknowledged the aircraft switch late Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he simply followed the instructions of the Secret Service and the military regarding his safety.

“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it,” Trump said.

In other words, behind the publicly visible return journey was a carefully planned security operation designed to conceal the president’s actual location and potentially mislead anyone planning an attack against him.