Trump Insists He Was Still in More Danger on His Secret Flight
President Donald Trump wants to pretend that his plane-switching ruse didn’t leave members of the press vulnerable to an attack from Iran.
While speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews Tuesday night, the president faced a tough question about his https://newrepublic.com/post/214173/donald-trump-staff-journalists-decoy-iran-assassination-threat" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">plane-swapping farce.
“Why was it too dangerous for you to fly on Air Force One, but not too dangerous for the press?” one reporter https://x.com/Acyn/status/2087351947011715152?s=20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">asked.
“Well, I don’t know.
I think actually, the plane that I flew on was at greater risk.
I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane that they would be more likely to go for,” Trump https://x.com/Acyn/status/2087351947011715152?s=20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">said.
Trump: They wanted me to go on a different flight.
Q: Why was it too dangerous to fly on Air Force one?
Trump: I don’t know.I think the plane I flew on was at greater risk because that would be the plane they would be more likely to go for.
— Acyn (@Acyn) https://x.com/Acyn/status/2087351947011715152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">August 12, 2026
Q: Were you worried about shoulder… https://t.co/xM7TMd2zFk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/xM7TMd2zFk
Trump’s explanation is nonsense.
When Trump departed the NATO summit in Turkey last month, the press reported that the president would fly with them aboard the original Air Force One.
Meanwhile, the president secretly changed planes in order to evade a credible assassination threat from Iran.
Members of the press and some staff members remained on the plane, none the wiser—and evidently vulnerable to attack.
Given the reportedly tiny circle of people who knew about the plan, it’s highly unlikely that Iran knew, either.
Several top administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller were also left aboard the decoy plane.