Two members of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet were on a decoy plane that Trump secretly exited before boarding a different flight in Turkey last month, CBS News reports.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard what was believed to be Air Force One and did not join the flight provided to Trump over security concerns involving Iran.
After Trump entered Air Force One on 8 July with both officials and members of the press, he hid on a catering truck to be clandestinely transported to a military plane.
The label “Air Force One” applies to any plane the president is on, but in this case the original craft kept the call signal, turning it into a decoy.
According to CBS – the BBC’s US partner – Rubio and Bessent remained on board the first aircraft to maintain the line of succession in the event something happened to Trump
In the event that the president dies or is incapacitated, Vice-President JD Vance would take power, followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
The Secretary of State comes next in line, followed by the treasury secretary.
Others who stayed on the initial aircraft designated as Air Force One included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Steven Cheung, the White House’s communications director.
The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.
