President Donald Trump (R-FL) said Tuesday that a secret flight he took out of Turkey was riskier than the decoy aircraft used to mislead the public.

The revelation highlights the extreme security measures the U.S. government employs to protect the president during international travel in high-threat environments.

Speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews after a trip to Ohio, Trump said the Secret Service and the U.S. military ordered the swap to protect him from a perceived threat. He said the public believed he was on a decoy Air Force One while he traveled separately.

"The plane I flew on was at greater risk than the Air Force One decoy the public thought I was on," Trump said [2].

The secret flight took place in July 2026 [1]. Trump said he deferred to the security experts regarding the logistics of the departure.

"It's only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do," Trump said [3].

Details regarding the decoy flight vary across reports. Some sources indicate the aircraft was filled with staff and reporters [3], while other reports state that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were on the decoy flight [4].

Security protocols on the actual flight were strict. One reporter who was on board said the Secret Service mandated that the windows remain closed for the entire duration of the flight [4].

Trump did not specify the nature of the threat that prompted the military and Secret Service to implement the decoy strategy. He said the swap was a mandate from security officials to ensure his safety during the July departure [1, 2].

“"The plane I flew on was at greater risk than the Air Force One decoy the public thought I was on."”

The use of a decoy aircraft is a rare but established security tactic designed to confuse adversaries by creating a false target. By publicly acknowledging the swap and the associated risks, the president is drawing attention to the volatility of the security environment in the region and the reliance on military intelligence to mitigate threats during diplomatic missions.