Trump Didn't Inform Media About Switching Planes; Clinton Administration Notified Press in Advance

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 11th (local time) that while U.S. President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft due to concerns over an Iranian assassination threat, the past Bill Clinton administration carried out a similar operation but informed the media about it at the time.

That day, WP compared how President Trump completely failed to notify accompanying reporters when he switched from Air Force One to a military aircraft while leaving Ankara, Türkiye, last month, with the response during the Clinton administration.

In March 2000, then-President Bill Clinton conducted an operation to hide the actual aircraft he boarded for personal safety as he traveled from India to Islamabad, Pakistan.

At the time, a "decoy" aircraft bearing the same markings as Air Force One landed in Islamabad while the press corps watched, and a Secret Service agent who resembled President Clinton emerged from that plane.

Afterward, another aircraft without Air Force One markings landed, and President Clinton disembarked from that plane.

Susan Page, who was then the president of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) and covering the president's schedule, knew about this deception operation in advance.

White House officials called Page before heading from India to Pakistan and asked to speak under the condition of background (off-the-record).

White House press and security officials explained the operation to Page, informing her of the president's actual location and security measures for the accompanying reporters.

Page told WP, "They explained to me the special security procedures being taken, including the use of a decoy plane, because of the risks involved in flying there."

She added, "Those risks applied not only to President Clinton but also to the reporters covering the schedule."

WP pointed out that while Trump's White House faced a similar security dilemma to the Clinton administration, its approach to dealing with the media was completely different.

The previous day, WP reported exclusively that after attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on the 8th of last month, President Trump boarded an older Air Force One model upon leaving Türkiye, then secretly got off and used a catering truck to transfer to a small Air Force plane.

The reporters aboard Air Force One reportedly had no idea about President Trump's plane switch because they were instructed to pull down their window shades at the time.

Until that report came out, it was only known that President Trump had escaped Iranian assassination threats by taking the older Air Force One from Türkiye to the United Kingdom and then switching to a newer Air Force One locally.

WP noted that this incident "could further strain the already tense relationship between the White House and the press."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.