U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One on Aug. 11 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump was asked about the secret decoy flight he took out of Turkey in a military aircraft. The president was returning to Washington, DC after traveling to Ohio to attend the 2026 Patriot Games. Getty Images via AFP-Yonhap
SEATTLE — President Donald Trump’s secret plane switch while leaving Turkey last month has become a major talking point in U.S. media this week.
What if the same thing happened in South Korea?
Trump publicly boarded Air Force One after attending a NATO summit in Ankara on July 8. But before departure, he was secretly moved via an airport catering truck to a smaller C-32A military aircraft following intelligence about a credible threat against him.
The presidential jet departed separately with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, other White House officials, staff and journalists aboard as part of the decoy operation.
