Trump Evacuated From Turkey
A reported Iran threat prompted Secret Service to quietly fly Trump out of Turkey.
The reporting
President Donald Trump confirmed that Secret Service and military officials directed him to secretly leave Air Force One in Turkey last month after a possible Iranian threat involving a shoulder-fired missile. The plan moved Trump by catering truck from the plane he had publicly boarded to a smaller C-32A military jet, while the legacy Air Force One flew as a decoy with the press corps and senior officials aboard. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on the decoy plane; aides traveling with Trump included Natalie Harp and Dan Scavino.
Analysis & opinion
Cowardly stuntMostly Left
Trump’s secret plane swap was a cowardly and ridiculous stunt that deserved criticism rather than defensive spin. It turned a security episode into a farce by making others bear the risk while Trump avoided it.
Decoy betrayalMostly Left
Trump protected himself from a possible Iranian assassination threat by leaving aides, officials, and journalists exposed on Air Force One as a decoy. The secrecy and selective protection of favored people made the plane switch a betrayal of those left behind, not just a routine security maneuver.
Media misplaced outrageMostly Right
The media cared too much about being excluded from the secret plane-switch decision and not enough about the danger to Trump. Their objections were unjustified because the priority was protecting the president from a potential assassination threat.
Legitimate securityMostly Right
Moving Trump to another aircraft was a prudent Secret Service security decision in response to a possible threat. Complaints about the press being uninformed or inconvenienced were overblown and self-important.
