WANA (Aug 12) – New details about a secret switch involving Donald Trump’s aircraft and travel arrangements on his return from Turkey to Britain have sparked protests among US journalists, who say they may have been used as “bait” without their knowledge to divert a potential threat against the American president.

 

Several US and international media outlets have reported that Donald Trump’s security team took a covert measure during his recent trip amid security concerns over a possible attack or assassination attempt. Some journalists have argued that the operation could have put members of the press and government personnel aboard the presidential aircraft at potential risk.

 

Secret Switch Involving Trump’s Aircraft

Since the United States and Israel launched military attacks against Iran on February 28, concerns over Trump’s security have increased, leading to significantly tighter protective measures around the president. Changes to Trump’s travel arrangements, as well as the deployment of air-defense systems at locations he regularly visits, have drawn considerable media attention.

 

Initial reports indicated that Trump’s security team changed his aircraft while he was returning from a NATO summit in Turkey to Britain after receiving intelligence about a possible plot to assassinate the US president.

 

Trump initially boarded a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, but was later transferred to the blue-and-white Boeing 747 commonly known as Air Force One. The older aircraft is reportedly equipped with more advanced protective systems designed to safeguard the president.

 

However, newly published reports by several US media outlets have provided different details about the operation. According to these reports, after initially boarding the presidential aircraft, Trump was secretly transferred at the airport using a catering truck to a smaller military aircraft and then flown to Britain aboard that plane.

 

After arriving in Britain, Trump reportedly boarded the same Air Force One again, creating the impression that he had traveled the entire route aboard the same aircraft.

People walk near a billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump on a building in Tehran, Iran, July 27, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Journalists Object: “We Were Bait”

The revelations have triggered criticism from several US and international media organizations. Reuters, CNN, The Washington Post and The New York Times are among the outlets that have raised questions about the security operation and the potential risks it may have posed to journalists and government personnel aboard the presidential aircraft.

 

Aaron Blake, a senior CNN reporter, said journalists felt they had been turned, without their knowledge, into “bait in the line of fire.”

 

The central concern among journalists is that if there was a credible threat against the president’s aircraft, placing another aircraft carrying journalists and government employees along a potentially targeted route could have exposed them to danger without their prior knowledge.

 

The episode has also renewed debate over the balance between presidential security measures and the US government’s responsibility toward journalists who travel as official members of the presidential press pool.

 

Pressure on Media Outlets and Dispute Over Classified Information

Following the reports about Trump’s aircraft switch, the US Department of Justice has sought to question New York Times reporters over the newspaper’s reporting on the new Air Force One aircraft.

 

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has revoked the security clearance of former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and accused him of disclosing classified information about the aircraft to the media.

 

The moves have intensified a broader dispute over how much information the US government can keep secret when it comes to presidential security operations, and how much access journalists should have to such information.

A billboard threatening U.S. President Donald Trump is displayed on a building in Tehran, Iran, July 18, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Security Measures Around Trump Intensify

Security concerns surrounding Trump have extended beyond his travel arrangements following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and growing fears of potential retaliatory strikes against US interests.

 

As part of these measures, the deployment of US Army air-defense systems at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, attracted particular attention. Images released from the site showed a mobile Avenger air-defense system and an AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar near the area where Trump plays golf, underscoring the heightened level of security surrounding the president.

 

Precedent for Using a Decoy Aircraft

The use of a decoy aircraft to protect a US president is not without precedent. Former President Bill Clinton also used a decoy aircraft during his 2000 visit to Pakistan.

 

According to journalists, however, the key difference in the latest case was the lack of prior notification to members of the press traveling with the president. That has led some journalists to argue that they were unknowingly placed inside a security deception operation.

 

As tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high and US officials continue to warn of possible retaliatory attacks by Iran, the episode has once again highlighted the difficult balance between protecting the president, safeguarding government employees and journalists, and maintaining transparency with the media.

Mourners carry a banner against U.S. President Donald Trump as they gather on the day of the burial of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, in a culmination of a mass funeral, in Mashhad, Iran, July 9, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)