Rubio, Bessent took decoy Air Force One, Hegseth flew on secret flight with Trump

Key Points:

• President Trump secretly traveled on a separate, undisclosed plane from the publicly identified Air Force One after the NATO summit, accompanied by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several White House aides, while a decoy flight carried Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other staff.
• The secret flight was arranged for security reasons, as advised by the Secret Service and military, following a threat to the president, according to Trump and sources familiar with the situation.
• Trump initially announced he would leave Ankara on the older Air Force One plane "for old time's sake," but the covert switch to a different aircraft involved a catering truck to facilitate his discreet transfer.
• Press members were kept unaware of the secret flight and were instructed to keep window shades closed on the publicly identified Air Force One, with Trump later suggesting the flight was "probably dangerous" due to threats.
• After a refueling stop in the UK, Trump switched to the newer Qatari-donated Air Force One for the transatlantic flight back to Washington, with the plane undergoing extensive security upgrades.