Stephen Miller sits at the center of a newly disclosed security operation that moved President Donald Trump from the old Air Force One to a military aircraft in Ankara about four or five hours before departure. A senior administration official said the switch was driven by intelligence that an Iranian terror cell had entered Turkey with a shoulder-fired missile.
The same official said the cell knew about Trump’s movements in Ankara. Trump later described the secret flight as work done by the Secret Service and the U.S. military, after telling reporters he would be flying on the old Air Force One and not the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.
Trump’s Ankara switch
The transfer happened through a catering container, a step that kept the change from the traveling press and from some White House officials aboard the decoy flight. Only a handful of people on the old Air Force One knew what was happening.
The plane carrying Trump was escorted by F-35 fighter jets. The old Air Force One was also escorted by F-35s, even though reporters aboard that aircraft were told the windows had to stay closed for the entire flight under a Secret Service mandate.
Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent
Sources familiar with the matter said Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent were on the decoy Air Force One. Sources said Pete Hegseth was on the other plane flying with the president, and all three Cabinet members knew Trump had switched planes because of the threat.
That left the decoy flight with the appearance of carrying the president while the actual movement happened on the other aircraft. The old plane’s transponder was turned off, adding another layer to the deception.
White House and ABC News
The White House said there are many enemies of America who have their sights on Trump, and it uses every tool at its disposal to address those threats. ABC News had reported at the time that Trump was advised not to take the plane because of security concerns amid escalations with Iran.
The trip came after the NATO summit in Turkey, and the operation was first reported by The Washington Post. For readers trying to understand what changed, the practical answer is simple: Trump’s travel plan was altered at the last minute, and the flight that looked routine was not the one carrying him.
