Trump used decoy plane to evade Iran assassination threat, leaving top officials on targeted aircraft

Published Aug 12, 02:50 PM UTC

The article reports that the Trump administration discovered a credible Iranian assassination threat against President Trump while flying out of Turkey last month. To protect Trump, the Secret Service arranged a decoy operation: Trump boarded Air Force One on camera but later secretly transferred to another plane via a catering truck, leaving Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, advisor Stephen Miller, Communications Director Steven Cheung, and press on the original plane, which was considered the likely target. Only Rubio was reportedly aware of the threat. Trump traveled safely with Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Oval Office director Walt Nauta, and personal assistant Natalie Harp. The article questions why Trump did not evacuate all officials and highlights the selective protection of his closest aides. It also notes Trump's claim that the decoy plane was at greater risk because it was the expected target.