More details are emerging about the Trump decoy plane, including who accompanied him on the ruse and who was left behind. Here is a look at the situation that is raising eyebrows throughout Washington, D.C.

How the Secret Service Pulled Off a Presidential Plane Switch

A Washington Post report earlier in the week detailed that President Donald Trump secretly switched planes when departing Turkey amid security concerns. Increasing worries about an attack on the president by Iran prompted his security detail to concoct an elaborate ruse to put Trump on an alternate military plane when leaving a global summit in Ankara, Turkey last month.

The ruse involved hiding the president in a catering truck to transport him from Air Force One to another aircraft. Trump and his team had initially flown to Turkey on a new plane provided to the administration by the Qatari government. However, while Trump was in Turkey, officials confirmed that he would depart on an older presidential plane due to security concerns.

Shortly after boarding the older aircraft, Trump slid out a different exit through the catering vehicle and moved to an Air Force C-32A that was waiting on the tarmac. Meanwhile, the plane from the Qataris took off as planned, carrying dozens of media personnel and members of Trump's team. Both aircraft landed at a military base in the United Kingdom, where Trump secretly transferred back to the Qatari-gifted aircraft to fly back to the U.S.

When asked about the clandestine plan on Tuesday, Trump said that he was simply following the advice of his Secret Service detail. The president said, “I just follow what they’d like to do. So I go by Secret Service. And the military. 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. I do what they say." The president went on to say that “I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats.”

The White House almost got away with the ruse. For the last month since the incident, most of the discussion has focused on the last-minute plane swap. Trump had spent weeks bragging about the Qatari-donated plane despite some officials expressing that it might not be as secure as other aircraft because of the retrofit.

Following Monday's report about Trump secretly boarding another plane, the conversation has shifted to the staffers and reporters who were unknowingly aboard a decoy plane. What is most concerning is that the Secret Service considered the threat credible enough to put the president on another plane, yet they left the rest of the passengers aboard the aircraft.

It is now being revealed who was left behind on the decoy plane and who was secretly ferried out with the president. A U.S. official has confirmed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, top domestic policy adviser Stephen Miller, and White House Communications Director Steven Cheung remained on board the older presidential aircraft, leaving Turkey without Trump on board.

Conversely, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and close aides and staffers Walt Nauta, Natalie Harp, and Dan Scavino were on board the Air Force jet with the president. A number of Secret Service agents and military support staff also departed Turkey on this aircraft.

Reaction to the Elaborate Ruse

Democrats are understandably upset about the news of the ruse. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the event amplifies why Congress must take action and "reassert its constitutional authority” and end the war with Iran. Schumer also said that “It is unacceptable that Congress was kept in the dark and instead learned about this serious threat through press reports. Trump has put America’s sons and daughters in harm’s way by getting into an unnecessary and reckless war, and this administration has repeatedly refused to provide Congress and the public with the transparency they deserve.”

Rubio ignored questions on Tuesday asking him if the White House put Americans at risk by flying Air Force One under a credible threat. His silence on the matter was particularly interesting, as he was the highest-ranking member of the administration left aboard the aircraft.

The presidential travel pool is also providing more context about the incident.  According to Politico's Megan Messerly, the group of reporters traveling with the president was “advised to keep our window shades in the press cabin closed.” This directive is unusual, signaling that there could be a potentially dangerous security issue.

Another pool note from ABC’s Michelle Stoddart detailed that a Secret Service agent went to the press cabin to remind reporters to keep their window shades closed. A photographer who tried to lift the shade was immediately told to lower it. The White House staffers on board did not provide additional details, simply telling the press pool that it was a command from the Secret Service.

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