Reports say President Donald Trump left Ankara on a separate, unpublicized U.S. government aircraft while another jet was presented publicly as Air Force One carrying senior officials and members of the press. People familiar with the matter told CBS News that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accompanied the president on the private flight.
According to the reporting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard the aircraft publicly identified as Air Force One, aware that the president was traveling on a different plane but retaining their places in the line of succession. Other White House staff reportedly on the publicly displayed plane included Stephen Miller, Will Scharf, Steven Cheung, Mike Needham, Ross Worthington and Monica Crowley.
Video shot by journalists in Ankara showed Trump boarding an older presidential aircraft while a catering truck was positioned at the opposite side of that jet. The vehicle then moved to another government plane identified by The Washington Post as an Air Force C-32A. The president subsequently traveled separately to a refueling stop in the United Kingdom, while the press and other staff continued on the plane presented as Air Force One.
Officials said the move was arranged for security reasons. Trump had publicly said on July 8 that he would depart on the older Air Force One rather than the newer aircraft donated by Qatar, citing partly sentimental reasons and saying U.S. personnel at the British refueling stop would have an opportunity to inspect the newer jet. CBS News later reported the Secret Service advised using the older aircraft in response to a threat; Trump later said the military and Secret Service made the decision because of a threat.
Members of the press traveling on the publicly identified Air Force One were reportedly instructed to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed while the plane was in Ankara. The separate presidential flight was not disclosed at the time, and the press and many staff did not initially know the president was aboard a different aircraft. Trump later rejoined the newer presidential jet in the U.K. and continued on to Washington, D.C.
The operation, which involved a swap between the publicly shown aircraft and a separate government plane, was described by officials as a security measure intended to protect the president while preserving a public image of the presidential aircraft in use by his team and the press.