All articles tagged with #air force one
Trump asks the Supreme Court to allow the White House ballroom to proceed, arguing the project is part of a bomb- and missile-resistant complex needed for national security; a court filing says the structure uses nuclear-grade concrete and can’t be easily deconstructed, while opponents say the administration is rushing construction to outrun judicial review as the $400 million project faces a Friday deadline for a ruling.
Late Night host Seth Meyers mocked Donald Trump for secretly moving to a decoy Air Force One during a NATO visit, leaving staff and reporters behind, and floated a cheeky idea to turn a future White House Correspondents’ Dinner into a catering-truck gag, while highlighting ongoing press-safety concerns.
A veteran New York Times photographer, Doug Mills, says he unknowingly captured a staged moment when Trump exited Air Force One in the UK after a covert transfer from a catering-truck decoy during a NATO trip; Mills only learned the truth later, noting the move was kept secret for security.
Trump aide Natalie Harp—long described as the president’s “human printer” who drafts Truth Social posts—has a new nickname, described by Maggie Haberman, after reports she was among a small group that secretly accompanied Trump on a decoy Air Force One transfer in Turkey en route to RAF Mildenhall, highlighting her close, multi-faceted role alongside Walt Nauta and Dan Scavino.
Democratic firebrand Jon Ossoff mocked President Trump for his close, lifelong-like attachment to 35-year-old aide Natalie Harp, described as the president’s “comfort blanket,” after a weekend at Bedminster. Harp has become a near-constant presence—attending Oval Office meetings, traveling on Air Force One, and printing articles for him—drawing scrutiny and memes from critics, while the White House declined to comment.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff slammed President Donald Trump for reportedly favoring personal travel on a supposedly defenseless “flying palace” with aide Natalie Harp, mocking the idea of building a White House ballroom aboard overseas flights and noting the use of a decoy Air Force One amid tensions with Iran and concerns for sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Bill Maher offered a biting theory about Trump’s reported catering-truck escape from Ankara amid an Iranian missile threat to Air Force One, joking that the president was in with the snacks while Pete Hegseth was in with the complimentary beer and wine, calling him the perfect roommate. The Daily Beast ties the anecdote to broader coverage of Trump using a decoy flight, notes which officials stayed behind, and links the episode to his push to justify a White House ballroom and its underground complex amid security concerns and related legal battles.
Journalists traveling with President Trump were kept in the dark about a secret plane switch due to an Iran threat, raising safety and transparency concerns about the White House.
At a NATO summit in Turkey, President Trump secretly swapped from the old Air Force One to a smaller plane for security; Rubio and Scott Bessent stayed aboard the decoy Air Force One, with Rubio reportedly aware of an Iran-linked assassination threat and Bessent likely aware. The move was directed by the Secret Service and military and involved other aides on the smaller aircraft, underscoring the high-security nature of presidential travel.
A former senior military aide to Bill Clinton, Buzz Patterson, says the tactic of using decoys, catering trucks, and aircraft swaps to safeguard a president is longstanding and effective, but warns that publicizing the playbook could endanger the president, officials, reporters, and security teams; he notes Trump’s Ankara move and Clinton’s earlier use of decoys, and argues secrecy is essential to preserve future presidential travel and national security.
Amid credible Iranian threats at the NATO summit in Ankara, U.S. officials devised a covert plan to evacuate Trump using a decoy: a white catering truck would shuttle him from Air Force One to the smaller C-32A for a flight to Mildenhall, Britain. The operation was coordinated by the Secret Service and military leaders, with fighter jets escorting the departure and several senior aides left on the original plane, reflecting heightened security concerns rather than routine travel.
Retired Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson, who carried Clinton's nuclear football, says long-standing Air Force One deception tactics—decoys, aircraft swaps, escort jets and even catering-truck movements—are designed to protect presidents and the continuity of government. He alleges a leak exposing how these playbooks work came from someone highly placed and warns that public details could endanger future leaders, crews and traveling journalists. The report notes Trump used decoy planes and a protective escort on a 2026 Ankara trip; Patterson stresses that exposing such procedures is dangerous and could force planners to abandon high-risk overseas trips in the future.
Several close aides—Natalie Harp, Dan Scavino and Walt Nauta—joined Trump on a smaller jet after he left Air Force One during the NATO summit in Ankara, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also aboard. Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on the larger Air Force One. Officials reportedly arranged the switch via a catering truck to minimize risk after a threat to the larger plane. Trump later downplayed the secrecy, saying he simply followed what Secret Service and the military wanted for safety.
Two Trump cabinet members—Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent—remained on a decoy plane while Trump secretly boarded a second aircraft after arriving in Ankara, a maneuver meant to preserve the line of succession amid an unspecified threat; the first aircraft retained the Air Force One call sign, and other staff were aboard the decoy, with Trump saying the move was arranged by the military and Secret Service. Decoy flights and shell games are common on high-risk trips, with historical examples such as Clinton's 2000 decoy flight; the White House has not publicly commented.
President Donald Trump secretly exited Air Force One on a catering truck in Turkey amid concerns about an Iranian assassination threat, flanked by loyal aides but notably without any Cabinet officials; the White House has not explained who remained on the original aircraft.