In July, US president Donald Trump secretly changed planes while several members of his administration flew on what’s been described as a ‘decoy plane’. This happened because of a supposed threat to the president’s life. And people have taken it as a sign that Trump was more than happy to use his top people as bait. Now, one of the people he left on the decoy plane has resigned – press secretary Karoline Leavitt. And people are speculating it’s directly linked to Trump’s airborne shenanigans:
Karoline Leavitt announced her resignation 24 hours after she found out that Trump left her for dead on a plane he thought could be shot out of the sky. https://t.co/5lMz9MiSSQ
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) August 12, 2026
Karoline Leavitt: decoys
While Trump did initially board the decoy plane, he secretly exited it via a catering truck. He was then transferred to a military plane which simultaneously flew to the same location as the decoy Air Force One (technically ‘Air Force One’ is the name of any plane with the president on it; it’s not the plane itself).
Rubio and Bessent were among the limited group who were aware that Trump had changed aircraft, but remained on board the first plane in order to maintain the line of succession in case something happened to the president.
In the event that the president dies or is incapacitated, Vice-President JD Vance would take power, followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
The secretary of state comes next in line, followed by the treasury secretary.
This version of events relies on you believing that Trump gives a shit about what happens after he dies. As such, many people believe he actually just left people behind to avoid drawing attention to the ruse.
Trump has denied that the people he abandoned were in danger:
W: Why was it too dangerous for you to fly on Air Force One, but not for the press?
Trump: I think, actually, the plane that I flew on was at greater risk, because that would be the plane they would be more likely to go for.
Huh? pic.twitter.com/pveNDvg1hV
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 12, 2026
Trump also said (emphasis added):
[Secret Service] wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane — equal safety. They wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.
It’s hard to see how it would have been “equal safety” given that Trump’s presence on the second plane was supposed to be a secret. It’s also hard to imagine Trump would have agreed to the plan if they’d told him it wouldn’t have made him any safer. Literally, what was the point if it didn’t decrease the chance of him being assassinated?
Flight of fancy
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt was one of those who enjoyed this “equal safety”. As noted, she’s now resigned from her position:
Serving as the White House Press Secretary over the past year and a half has been the honor and adventure of a lifetime. I am incredibly grateful to President Trump for granting me so many extraordinary opportunities, such as working in the West Wing and spending countless hours… https://t.co/4jyW61DGGh pic.twitter.com/xny1yccuBn
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) August 12, 2026
People had opinions about when and why Leavitt is leaving:
Karoline Leavitt is dipping out right before Democrats likely take the House majority (possibly the Senate) and corruption investigations and subpoenas fly. Don’t be surprised if more resign before January. https://t.co/byNsdSWiOG
— Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) August 12, 2026
so strange how after a year of lying to the public and helping cover up human rights abuses ranging from pedophilia to genocide, she gets to just go home and be with her family. under a just system, all of these people would face trial https://t.co/00qonDzATm
— matt bernstein (@mattxiv) August 12, 2026
A lot of people are having fun with the latest development:
. https://t.co/0oNUWnHmEP pic.twitter.com/JS4PIGv2ek
— dart (@poordart) August 12, 2026
Washington Post: Trump underwent an elaborate plan to hide his flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month using a catering food truck amid Iran threat. pic.twitter.com/ySqAT6No94
— IRI Embassy in Armenia (@iraninyerevan) August 11, 2026
Brave American hero, or a coward hiding in a catering truck? pic.twitter.com/t1vcmrdcHw
— Iran Embassy SA (@IraninSA) August 12, 2026
Air Force Con
It’s easy to believe that Trump used his top team as decoys, because that sort of behaviour aligns with everything we know about him. What’s harder to understand is why anyone around him would be surprised. Trump notoriously screws people over. Despite this, they keep queueing up to work with him, and then acting shocked when he throws them to the wolves.
Featured image via Eric Lee / New York Times
By Willem Moore
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