Donald Trump has confirmed that he was secretly moved off Air Force One in Istanbul on July 8, 2026, because of a possible security threat. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stayed on the aircraft, which flew on as a decoy.
DR reports that Trump boarded Air Force One in Turkey together with Rubio, Bessent and a group of traveling journalists. Before takeoff, the president was quietly driven away from the plane and over to another aircraft.
According to CBS News, which first reported the switch, Trump was moved in what anonymous sources described as a catering truck. The maneuver was carried out because of a security concern related to Iran. The original plane then took off with the two cabinet secretaries and the press pool still on board.
The identity of the officials left behind matters, because both are in the United States line of presidential succession. As reported by the BBC, Rubio and Bessent remained on the first aircraft so that people in the succession order were kept apart from the president.
The United States has a fixed order for who takes over if the president dies or becomes unable to serve. First in line is Vice President JD Vance, followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the leader of the Senate. Next comes the secretary of state, currently Rubio, followed by the treasury secretary, Bessent.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on the military aircraft that carried Trump onward, according to American media cited by DR. The Daily Beast reported that the decoy flight also carried other senior White House aides in addition to the journalists.
Trump points to military and Secret Service
Trump told reporters on Monday evening that the decision to change aircraft was made by the U.S. military and the Secret Service. He said they wanted him on a different plane, and he declined to describe the specific threat. Per the BBC, he added that any significant president receives many threats.
DR notes that the method itself is not new. The Secret Service regularly uses diversionary measures, including identical armored limousines that change position in a motorcade and multiple helicopters. In March 2000, President Bill Clinton was flown to Islamabad in an unmarked aircraft while another plane painted as Air Force One served as a decoy.
In the 2000 case, journalists were briefed on the arrangement in advance and asked not to reveal it. This time, reporters on board have said they did not know they were on a decoy flight. It remains unclear how much Rubio, Bessent, other officials and the crew knew, and whether anyone on the plane was in actual danger.
