Inside the Secret Service's 'shell game' tactics to protect US presidents
BBC reports that in July, President Trump was secretly moved to a different aircraft after the Nato summit in Turkey while Air Force One continued with unaware passengers still aboard. Experts explain this kind of deception is a long-used security tactic.
After the Nato summit in Ankara on 8 July, Donald Trump was seen boarding Air Force One in front of television cameras. However, reports indicate the president had already been secretly transferred via a catering truck to a military C-32A aircraft, which flew him to RAF Mildenhall in the UK. Those who remained aboard Air Force One had no idea the president was no longer with them.
Former Secret Service officials say such deception is far from unusual. Former agent Robert McDonald described a similar tactic, known as a "shell game," regularly used during motorcades, where two identical presidential limousines swap positions to confuse potential attackers. The presidential helicopter, Marine One, typically flies in a group of three for the same reason, changing formation so outsiders cannot tell which one carries the president.
Historical precedents
More elaborate deception schemes are used for higher-risk overseas trips. In 2000, Bill Clinton flew from India to Islamabad on an unmarked jet after a decoy aircraft painted in Air Force One livery landed first. In 2003, George W Bush secretly arrived in Baghdad despite official statements that he would spend Thanksgiving in Texas. In 2023, Joe Biden was similarly transported to Ukraine under tight secrecy.
The Secret Service and the White House have neither confirmed nor denied the July incident, stating only that every available tool is used to protect the president. Experts say the scale of this operation suggests a serious threat assessment in Turkey. Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos raised the question of whether authorities had a duty to warn those still aboard the aircraft about any potential danger.
Journalists who remained on the plane said they were repeatedly told to keep their window blinds down, which McDonald said is a standard protective measure for passengers. He noted the Secret Service is under no legal obligation to disclose details of its protective operations.
