Trump Secretly Switches Flights Amid Iranian Threat, Accompanied by Pentagon Chief and Aides

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and several White House aides joined President Donald Trump on a military plane, Air Force C-32A, that he boarded to fly out of Turkey after sneaking off Air Force One following an Iranian threat, CBS News reported. As part of the deception, Hegseth separately boarded the smaller military aircraft, while Trump’s aides Dan Scavino, Natalie Harp and Walt Nauta accompanied the president during the covert transfer in an airport catering truck. The presidential jet carried Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials, as well as members of the press corps. Rubio was aware of the switch and the threat, while a US official said Bessent was likely aware but could not confirm it. While in the United Kingdom, the Republican leader then shifted to Air Force One for the second leg of his trip back to Washington. Under the US presidential line of succession, the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury rank fourth and fifth, respectively, after the vice president, the Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate. That makes Rubio and Bessent two of the highest-ranking officials in the presidential line of succession after the vice president and congressional leaders. Trump on Wednesday confirmed that he was secretly moved from the presidential aircraft to a military plane while leaving Turkey last month. #WATCH | US President Donald J Trump says, “It’s only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do. I go by the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I did… https://t.co/g7GCshkcAq pic.twitter.com/IM8Ful4OaS — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2026 “I just follow what they’d like to do. I go by the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane… so I did it. I do what they say,” Trump told reporters after The Washington Post broke the story about his switch from the presidential plane. “I think ​actually the plane that I flew ‌on ⁠was at greater risk,” he said, confirming the potential threat. “I ​think ⁠it was at greater risk because that ​would be the ​plane ⁠I think that they would be more likely to ⁠go ​for.” (With inputs from agencies)