Trump plays down Air Force One plane switch as criticism grows over ‘decoy’ passengers – US politics live

President says Secret Service wanted him on ‘different plane’ due to threat as Democrats call for congressional briefing Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. President Donald Trump said he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on

While Trump was taken to safety on another military plane, Air Force One continued its journey with senior officials, military personnel and journalists still onboard.

Trump secretly switched to a military jet in Turkey over an Iranian missile threat, leaving journalists and White House staff aboard the decoy aircraft.

Ethical questions are raised over a US Secret Service ruse that used a plane full of journalists as a possible "decoy" in response to an alleged Iranian threat to shoot Air Force One out of the sky.