Today in Politics, Bulletin 438. 8/11/26
… WaPo broke a wild story last night that Trump abandoned Air Force One and hid in a catering truck so he could be transferred to another plane on the tarmac to fly from Turkey after the NATO summit. Here is the timeline based on the story as well as other coverage at the time:
Trump flew to Turkey on the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One for the NATO summit.
An Iranian assassination threat triggered a secret “deception operation.” Security officials devised a plan to conceal the aircraft Trump was traveling on.
The Qatari-gifted Air Force One left Turkey first, without Trump.
Trump publicly boarded the legacy Air Force One in Ankara, walking up the stairs and waving for cameras, creating the appearance that this is his plane home.
Trump then secretly exited Air Force One through the other side of the aircraft and got into an airport catering truck raised to the plane’s door.
The catering truck drove Trump to a smaller Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 parked nearby.
Trump secretly boarded the C-32A. Pete Hegseth also boarded separately.
Reporters and some WH staff board the legacy Air Force One, apparently unaware Trump is no longer aboard. They are instructed to close their window shades.
The legacy Air Force One takes off as a decoy and eventually uses the ‘AF1’ call sign despite Trump not being aboard.
Trump’s actual C-32A flew secretly to Britain under the nondescript call sign ‘Reach 18,’ with its normal flight-tracking systems reportedly switched off.
Trump arrived at RAF Mildenhall in Britain on the C-32A, shortly before the decoy Air Force One arrives.
Trump somehow transferred back onto the legacy Air Force One after landing. The Post says exactly how this transfer occurred remains unclear.
Trump then emerged from the legacy Air Force One in front of cameras, making it appear as though that was the aircraft he had flown from Turkey.
Trump boarded the Qatari-gifted Air Force One in Britain and finally flies back to Washington with the press and staff.
… If you’re hiding in a catering truck when you control the most powerful military in the world, you aren’t winning.
… WaPo reporter Dan Lamothe, who broke the story: “When you have even the usage of an Air Force One call sign on a plane that the president is not aboard in that moment, that’s remarkable.”
… NYT: “Reporters on the older plane were not told that Trump had not flown with them from Turkey to an air base in Britain, making them unwitting participants in the ruse and leaving them, along with some WH staff members, to serve as unknowing decoys.”
… “The elaborate plan appears to have been developed in a matter of hours after officials determined that a threat against Trump from Iran was credible. It came after years of threats against Trump from Iran and amid the war he launched against that country. And it was an unusual instance of the public being deceived about a president’s whereabouts.”
… WSJ then reported that Trump switched planes based on information provided by Israel: “The US official said Israel briefed the Trump admin on the intelligence, which included a threat to use shoulder-to-air missiles to target Air Force One.”
… Maybe it was legit intel from Israel. Maybe Israel wants to keep the war going as long as possible by manipulating and antagonizing Trump. Either is possible.
… I fully expected a long and rambling, angry post from Trump last night or today denouncing the ‘Fake News’ over this story while denying it. But nope. Nothing. He also ignored questions about it shouted by reporters as he kept his distance. I guess he can’t figure out how to spin it to save face.
… Former State Dept. spokesperson Ned Price: “I’ve traveled overseas with multiple presidents and recognize that subterfuge is sometimes a necessary safeguard. But misleading reporters in the moment and, worse yet, continuing to lie to the American people weeks later is never acceptable. As far as I know, it’s unique to this WH.”
… Joe Biden never hid in a catering cart.
… CNN chief political analyst David Axelrod: "It was kind of stunning to think that all those on the plane were sort of a decoy, and were not told that the president wasn't on board, and that the deception was continued even after he was safely returned to Washington. And that's hard for me to understand."
… Really not a surprise that the guy who hid in a bunker during BLM protests in term 1 has moved on to hiding in catering trucks in term 2.
… Journalist Aaron Rupar: “So Trump and the WH lied about which plane Trump was on flying out of Turkey, setting up journalists who thought they were on the same plane as the president to possibly be the target of an Iranian attack while he secretly departed on a different one. Words fail.”
… Terrified Trump “totally obliterated” Iran but he’s switching planes by hiding in a catering truck on international flights and playing golf in NJ next to surface-to-air missile launchers.
… MAGA “investigative reporter” and frequent Fox guest Nick Sortor posted: “WOW! President Trump outsmarted Iranian threats in Turkey by jumping in a CATERING TRUCK to swap planes when the world thought he was on the legacy Air Force One. This is a JAMES BOND-style mission.”
… It’s a cult.
… The Telegraph: “Mid-flight, the decoy plane switched its transponder to broadcast the ‘AF1’ call sign to draw attention away from the US president’s actual location. When reporters asked after the flight why the shades had to be pulled down, Trump remarked: ‘Because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with.’”
… Trump went on Wayne Allen Root’s show on Real America’s Voice. Trump and Root have been tight for decades, and fascist Root always tries to trigger Trump’s worst impulses. Root: “You have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections. If you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship, and a limit to mail-in ballots. Trump: Let me just say stranger things have happened. I'll leave it at that.”
… AP: “The president’s media company posted a massive loss in the second quarter and announced plans to ditch new business lines and refocus as a forum for users to post their views. Trump Media, the company behind the Truth Social platform, said Monday that it lost $238 million in the 3 months through June as it branched into businesses unrelated to media, including crypto. That was more than 10 times the loss from a year earlier. The per-share loss widened to 86 cents from 8 cents.”
… “In a conference call after the earnings release, the new CEO, Kevin McGurn, said a yearlong effort to expand by branching into several new industries including online betting and crypto would now be largely abandoned as he refocuses the business on its social media mission.”
… “Key to McGurn’s plan is a service called Truth API that offers early access to Wall Street trading firms to top posters on the Truth Social platform. That includes the user with most followers, Trump, who often moves markets by breaking major US policy shifts on the site.”
… “Trump Media has been attacked by good govt watchdogs from the start of Trump’s second term as a vehicle for him to profit off the presidency. The new service has only heightened those concerns, with Democrats vowing to investigate the paid service if they get control of Congress in the midterms.”
… So Trump is bailing out his failed media company with an insider trading subscription service for the bargain price of $100,000 a month, which can also be a vehicle to just bribe Trump without even using the subscription. More corruption on an epic scale while Republicans in Congress say nothing.
… Punchbowl: “DOJ office of legal counsel has issued an opinion that would allow the president to claim executive privilege over communication between him and ‘private advisors.’ Extends to ‘direct advisors’ communication with outside advisers.”
… “Big implications if Dems take back the House and start investigating Trump. That would let Trump wall off a broad swath of communication from congressional scrutiny. It lands as Democrats look increasingly likely to win back the House - and subpoena power.”
… It is also blatantly illegal. Get ready for another legal battle over the scope of executive privilege if Democrats take over the House and/or Senate.
… Meidas media reporter Acyn: “Mentions I tracked on Fox News from 12 PM ET to 10 PM ET. As we get closer to the midterms, I think it’s insightful to track what Fox News is focusing its coverage on:
Fauci: 89
El-Sayed: 64
WNBA: 64
AOC: 59
Hong: 52
Sophie Cunningham: 34
Mamdani: 32
Hasan Piker: 29
… WSJ: “Democrats inside and outside Wisconsin are anxious about Tuesday’s primary election in the battleground state. Their worries can be summarized in two words: Francesca Hong. The state representative and part-time bartender, a dues-paying member of the DSA, has led in polls ahead of the final day of balloting for the Democratic nomination for governor in a race that has been one of this year’s most chaotic.”
… “Establishment Democrats are concerned that Hong, on whom Republicans have spent millions because they think she would be easier to beat in Nov. than any of the other Dems in the race, could cost the party a winnable governorship in a key state. That concern is based on her DSA branding, far-left policy views and past social-media posts that have called for everything from abolishing the police to canceling Thanksgiving because she saw it as a ‘colonizer holiday.’”
… “In recent days, Hong has tried to walk back some of her most far-left postings. But if she becomes the nominee, Republicans have made clear they intend to remind voters about them. The only remaining Democrat in the primary field likely to have any chance of stopping Hong is Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.”
… Crowley: “There are a lot of people who are scared. She is a self-proclaimed socialist. There are a lot of people worried about not just this party, but this country moving in that direction.”
… “Balloting in WI and neighboring MN, 2 of 6 states holding primaries, represents the latest test of strength between establishment Democrats and the party’s far-left flank. In MN, where the marquee race is for the Democratic Senate nomination, the primary pits progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan against Rep. Angie Craig, who holds views closer to the center and has a record of winning in a competitive district since 2018.”
… Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI): “Primary Election Day WI. This has been a wild primary for Governor but I am convinced whoever wins today can win. Tiffany is an incredibly weak candidate. He’s Trump lite. He’s supported Trump without question, plus has an extreme voting record in DC. United we win.”
Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I do my weekly podcast Uncovered where we do a deep dive into the top stories of the week. Some big primaries tonight for both parties in multiple states. Obviously I don’t have the results at the time this is published, so we will talk about them on Uncovered.
If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Thank you again to everyone who reads, shares and subscribes to my work as well as the work of all the great contributors at Meidas.
… Hong spoke with reporters after voting this morning:
Q: “If you’re elected governor, what’s the first thing you want to do? Hong: We want to make sure we call a special session for the legislation on a moratorium on data centers.”
Q: “What do you say to voters who fear that democratic socialism could turn into communism? Hong: No. This is a state where we will still have a $2.33 tipped minimum wage and $7.25 minimum wage. It’s gonna be hard to turn that into
