'Deceived': Did White House put at risk the journalists travelling with Trump during plane switch? What they say

The journalists travelling with Donald Trump from Turkey to the UK in July, when he decided to switch planes over security concerns, were unaware that the US president had secretly left Air Force One in a catering van before moving to another aircraft. In the July incident, Trump was moved to the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One in Britain, amid intelligence inputs that Iran was aware of his exact location. Reports suggested a possible assassination attempt. It was not clear whether the journalists or government staff aboard Air Force One faced a direct threat.

What happened to the journalists' plane in Turkey?

About a dozen journalists travelled with Trump to Ankara to cover Trump's foreign trip that included attending the NATO summit. They represented ABC News, Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Associated Press (AP), Bloomberg, Getty, The New York Times, NPR, Politico, Reuters and One America News.

Some noticed unusual activity before take-off. Three of them saw a catering truck positioned unusually close to the aircraft.

“You’re not really looking for the president to be slipping into a catering van,” one journalist said.

After take-off, staff instructed passengers to keep their window shades closed without explaining why. Journalists noted that such instructions were more familiar from flights to or from war zones.

One reporter noticed that Trump boarded unusually quickly, while another was surprised that he did not brief the press before the first leg of the journey. Trump later spoke to reporters.

The Boeing 747 carrying the press and officials has defensive systems, including flares designed to counter missiles. Two US officials also said F-16 fighter jets escorted the aircraft, with one saying some fighters flew near Trump's plane for part of the journey.

The Post reported that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had “low confidence” in an Iranian threat.

What journalists travelling with Trump said about his plane switch

The Washington Post cited four journalists as saying that they noticed unusual details during the flight that only made sense in hindsight. The White House neither briefed them during the journey nor explained the operation afterwards, leaving some feeling disappointed and deceived and questioning whether their safety had been properly considered. “We never were provided any opportunity to consent to being used like this,” The Post cited one journalist as saying.

The journalist added that they were neither Air Force nor Secret Service personnel and had not signed up to put themselves at risk to protect the president.

An issue of trust between the White House and the press corps

Press organisations criticised the operation. National Press Club president Mark Schoeff Jr said that leaving reporters aboard an aircraft as part of a security deception was “deeply troubling”.

Committee to Protect Journalists representative José Zamora said transparency should be the norm when safety is at stake.

Calling the episode “outright deception”, New York Times Washington bureau chief Richard W Stevenson said it set a “terrible precedent” because journalists and staff were unknowingly exposed to a potential threat.

AFP regional director Marc Lavine said it was concerning when a media organisation discovered it had been misled, particularly when the safety of its reporters was involved.

White House Correspondents’ Association president Jacqui Heinrich said reporters should have a way to correct inaccurate or misleading information once a security operation has ended. Without such a mechanism, she said, journalists could question whether information they independently observe and report “can be relied upon.”