Rubio, Bessent stayed behind as Trump secretly switched planes over alleged Iran threat

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained aboard the plane that President Donald Trump exited last month due to an alleged Iranian threat during the NATO summit in Turkey.

Trump secretly exited the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One and boarded a different plane — the older, 1990s-era Air Force One — in order to evade the threat, according to a U.S. official. Trump was transferred between the planes in a catering truck to avoid detection, along with White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, executive assistant Natalie Harp and Oval Office operations director Walt Nauta. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also joined Trump on the secret flight, traveling from Ankara to the United Kingdom.

Rubio and Bessent, who were aware Trump had secretly transferred to another plane, stayed on the decoy flight along with White House aides Stephen Miller, Will Scharf, Steven Cheung, Mike Needham, Ross Worthington and Monica Crowley.

The White House did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s request for comment about the passengers aboard either plane.

Journalists traveling as part of the White House press pool and several White House staffers also remained on the decoy flight and were not told about the threat.

Those aboard the decoy plane were instructed to keep their window shades closed, according to notes sent on behalf of the traveling press pool.

The specific threat to the original flight involved a surface-to-air missile and a person spotted with a shoulder-fired missile, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the threat told the New York Times.

Asked Tuesday about the shoulder-fired missile threat, Trump appeared unconcerned.

“I don’t worry about anything, to be honest,” Trump said. “Whatever it is, you know my attitude. Whatever.”

MS NOW has reached out to the State Department for comment on Rubio remaining on the decoy flight and to the Treasury Department for comment on Bessent.

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