Fighter Jets Escorted Decoy Air Force One to UK, Trump Administration Confirms

A senior Trump administration official disclosed Wednesday that U.S. military fighter jets provided aerial protection for a decoy Air Force One during its transatlantic flight to the United Kingdom last month. The security arrangement addressed concerns that journalists and staff aboard the substitute aircraft could have faced vulnerability from hostile actors targeting the presidential plane as it departed Turkey.

The plane swap, which allowed Trump to depart on an alternative aircraft, represented an extraordinary security protocol that required the original Air Force One to continue its journey without the president. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accompanied the press corps on the protected decoy flight, both aware that Trump was not aboard the aircraft.

Passengers and crew members received strict instructions to keep window shades sealed throughout the flight, preventing visibility of the military escort overhead. Pool reporters noted minimal visible activity at the airport before departure, with press vehicles positioned at a distance from the tarmac and photographers unable to observe which aircraft Trump boarded.

Once in flight, a Secret Service agent reinforced the window shade directive to the press cabin, with one photographer quickly corrected after briefly opening a shade. Trump told reporters Tuesday that his security detail and military advisors made the aircraft switch decision, stating he followed their guidance without question.

Trump suggested the aircraft he ultimately flew on faced increased danger after the swap became public knowledge. “I think 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,” he told reporters on the tarmac.