President Donald Trump; the "Most Consequential"

"I understand putting a priority on the president’s security, but frankly, this was just a despicable incident of disrespect for the press and for members of his own Cabinet."

"They should have been allowed to disembark and to fly home another way, rather than taking off on the No. 1 target in the whole region."

Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) 

 

"The Israelis passed a tip, a concern, that the plane and potentially the president was under threat."

"[But it turns out the] CIA had low confidence [in the Israeli tip, according to a more recent Post story  on Thursday]."

"I think that kind of leaves the Secret Service in a tough spot of assessing: What do you do in this zero-fail mission to keep the president safe?"

Dan Lamothe, reporter, Washington Post 

 

"It's really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety. I do what they say." 

"The plane that I was on was at greater risk. Because that would be the plane that I think that they would be more likely to go for."

"[I was not surprised by the operation because I face] a lot of threats that  you don't know about."

"Any consequential president has a lot of threats. Non-consequential presidents don't get threatened. And I think that I may be the most consequential."

U.S. President Donald J. Trump  

President Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on August 11, 2026. Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

 

 As President Trump left a NATO summit last month that took place in Turkey, his departure appeared to have run into a bit of an inconvenience. As a result of a perceived threat to his safety and security, a covert alteration in his departure scheduling took place. Under cover he secretly left the Air Force One jet he was scheduled to remain aboard en route to the U.K. to instead furtively board a catering truck to make his journey from Turkey. A potential Iranian assassination threat had emerged while the president was in Turkey.

 

As President Trump left the Air Force One jet, he was accompanied with some of his longest-serving aides; no cabinet officials were among those with them. Passenger on the truck alongside the president included Dan Scavino, deputy chief of White House staff, Natalie Harp, executive assistant to the president and Walt Nauta, director of Oval Office operations. This was confidential information relayed by an official familiar with the operation, speaking on condition of anonymity.

 

Among that group were other lower-profile aides. Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained on Air Force one, along with Cabinet members and high level officials of the U.S. government, while those aboard the catering truck that concealed their presence moved from the legacy Air Force One aircraft to a smaller Air Force C-32A to fly on to the United Kingdom, separated from the White House press corps and senior government officials.

 

President Donald Trump, pictured as he prepares to board Air Force One at RAF Mildenhall, in England, on July 8.    Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

 

That July 8 furtive operation was reported by the Washington Post, setting off calls from congressional Democrats for an immediate briefing. The secret move had been withheld from journalists travelling with the president on that occasion, nor were they briefed for over a month after the fact. Along with several senior administration officials, military personnel, and Secret Service agents who remained on the legacy Air Force One plane, deemed too potentially hazardous for the president to remain aboard, were the journalists. 

 

The entire scenario, kept under wraps, did not become public knowledge until the Washington Post broke the story. Stirring outrage that the scheme that focused on ensuring that the president was secure, with a hushed-up alternate plan of avoidance, still left others, from government officials to White House journalists susceptible to danger should the information of an attempt through a shoulder-mounted missile to take down the presidential plane have been accurate. They were presumably left as part of a decoy to deflect attention from the president's departure. 

 

A catering truck is parked next to Air Force One at Ankara Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8.   ABC-TV/Pool/Reuters

  

"The U.S. Secret Service continuously analyzes a wide range of information to guide our protective operations in real time and across every location we secure."

"In light of recent assassination attempts and a significant increase in threats against the President, we remain unyielding in our mission."

Secret Service Communications Chief Anthony Guglielmi