EXCLUSIVE: Trump Faces Outrage Over 'Using Staff and Reporters as Air Force One Decoys'

Donald Trump is facing criticism over an extraordinary security operation, which saw him removed from Air Force One while staff, senior officials and reporters were left aboard the presidential jet as it flew amid fears it could be targeted by Iran.

As RadarOnline.com has reported, the operation unfolded in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8 after US officials concluded a threat against Air Force One was serious enough for the president, 80, to be secretly taken off the aircraft in a catering container.

He was transferred to another military plane while Air Force One continued to Britain carrying officials, journalists and military personnel – some unaware of the increased danger.

Those aboard included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 55, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, 63, and senior Trump aides Stephen Miller, 40, and Steven Cheung, 43.

The episode has prompted criticism from figures including Joe Lockhart, who served as White House press secretary during Bill Clinton's presidency and was involved when Clinton made a security-sensitive trip to Pakistan in 2000.

Lockhart told The New York Times: "(Trump's security team) just didn't seem to give a second thought to anybody but the president and the few people who were with him."

He added: "We went out of our way to make sure the maximum number of people, especially civilians, were protected and not human shields. They didn't even think about it. And to me, that's the big difference."

Journalists remaining aboard Air Force One were instructed to keep their window shades closed as the aircraft flew from Ankara to Britain.

Trump, meanwhile, landed secretly aboard another military aircraft before being transferred back onto Air Force One so he could later leave the presidential jet in front of cameras as though he had been aboard throughout the flight.

The maneuver was first reported by The Washington Post and subsequently confirmed by The New York Times and other outlets.

Andrew W. Marlowe, the screenwriter behind the 1997 Harrison Ford thriller Air Force One, also questioned the decision to expose civilians to a potential threat without their knowledge.

Marlowe said: "Now real life isn't a movie, but given the circumstances, I'm not sure I could ever script a moment like that for a heroic main character."

He added: "If the threat were that great, it's hard to imagine the audience rooting for any character who would trade his own safety by treating the remaining civilians on board as potential sacrificial lambs, especially without their informed consent."

Trump rejected suggestions the people left aboard had faced greater danger, saying he had followed Secret Service advice.

He said: "I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for."

Former White House officials defended the overriding priority given to presidential security.

Ari Fleischer, who served as George W. Bush's White House press secretary, said presidential motorcades similarly use deception when facing threats.

Fleischer said: "The safety of Potus always comes first. We don't complain. That's the way it is."

But a string of sources have told Radar in exclusive interviews of their rage over the security operation.

One senior Washington source said: "The president's safety was treated as the only priority. Everyone else on that plane was effectively part of the deception, whether they understood it or not.

"Once Trump was moved to the other aircraft, Air Force One still had value as a target because it looked exactly as though he was aboard.

"Those left onboard were told to shut the shades and follow instructions, but nobody explained that the president had already gone. It is hard not to feel like the remaining passengers were used."

A former security official said: "Decoys are a familiar part of protecting a president, but passengers should not become decoys by accident. That is where the anger comes from.

"The message from the security team was clear: keep the aircraft moving, preserve the illusion Trump was onboard, and get the president out by another route – whatever the cost to others still onboard."