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 Members of Trump’s cabinet stayed on decoy plane after president’s secret exit

Two senior members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet remained on a decoy aircraft after he secretly left it and boarded a different plane in Turkey last month, according to a CBS News report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stayed aboard what was publicly treated as Air Force One. They did not join the alternative flight arranged for Trump because of security concerns linked to Iran.

On 8 July, Trump boarded the original plane in Ankara alongside the two officials and members of the press. He then concealed himself in a catering truck and was taken to a separate military aircraft. The original plane retained the “Air Force One” call sign and served as a decoy.

CBS, the BBC’s US partner, reported that Rubio and Bessent remained on the first aircraft in order to preserve the presidential line of succession if anything happened to Trump. In the succession order, the vice-president is first, followed by the Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate; the secretary of state comes next, then the treasury secretary.

Others who stayed on the decoy plane included White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and White House communications director Steven Cheung. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth travelled on the second aircraft with Trump, according to US media reports.

The BBC has sought comment from the White House. Speaking to reporters on Monday night, Trump said the decision to switch planes was made by the US military and the Secret Service, who “wanted me to go in a different flight.”