Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flew out of the NATO summit in Turkey last month on a decoy aircraft while President Donald Trump was secretly transferred to a smaller military jet following an Iranian threat, according to a senior U.S. official.
The clandestine operation, executed as officials departed Ankara, involved elaborate ruses, including smuggling the president aboard a separate plane via a catering cart. While the White House and security agencies navigated the potential danger, high-ranking Cabinet members and aides remained split across the two flights under contrasting security protocols.
The Decoy Flight and Cabinet Passengers
According to a senior U.S. official briefed on the situation, Rubio and Bessent remained aboard the original aircraft as it departed Turkey. Rubio was briefed on the security threat and was fully aware of the aircraft switch, though the official did not specify why the top diplomat stayed on the decoy plane. Bessent was likely aware of the situation, the official added, though his exact level of knowledge could not be independently confirmed.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the secretaries of State and Treasury follow the vice president and the highest-ranking members of Congress in the presidential line of succession. However, the official noted that security precautions for the president—particularly following multiple assassination attempts—are considerably more robust than those deployed for even the nation’s highest-ranking Cabinet officials.
Alongside Rubio and Bessent, several key aides remained on the decoy flight, including White House staffers Stephen Miller, Will Scharf, Steven Cheung, Mike Needham, Ross Worthington, and Monica Crowley. Members of the White House press pool and additional staff also stayed on the flight, unaware that the president was no longer on board as the journey back to Washington began.
The Secret Transfer and Security Ruse
President Trump had originally traveled to the annual gathering of NATO leaders in Ankara aboard a newly inaugurated, Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white, and navy blue jet. Ahead of the departure, Trump publicly stated that the luxury aircraft was being flown out early to give U.S. troops based in eastern England an opportunity to inspect the new Air Force One.
Instead, intelligence officials raised concerns regarding a potential attack targeting the president or his aircraft, triggering immediate operational adjustments. According to The Washington Post, Trump was smuggled onto a smaller, older-model baby blue Air Force One via a catering cart to avoid detection.
Official Acknowledgement and Next Steps
Reports regarding the intelligence concerns and resulting travel adjustments first surfaced last month via The New York Times and CBS News. President Trump formally acknowledged the aircraft transfer late Tuesday evening while speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews.
"It’s only up to the Secret Service.”
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the specific passenger manifests or the nature of the security threat. Intelligence and security agencies have not released further details regarding the origin or scope of the alleged plot tied to the NATO summit departure.
