Donald Trump's campaign team was concerned about the possibility of Iran shooting down his plane after threats of an alleged assassination plot against him surfaced. This concern was so significant that Trump flew on a separate plane, owned by Steve Witkoff, to an event, according to an upcoming book about Trump's rise to power.
During his presidential campaign, U.S. law enforcement officials warned Trump and his team that Tehran had operatives in the U.S. with access to surface-to-air missiles and that there was an alleged plot to assassinate him. Following an almost-assassination attempt at his golf club in Florida, Trump's security detail heightened security concerns and opted to fly the future president on a decoy plane. Trump staff were allowed to fly on Trump Force One, much to their anger.
The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power," by journalist Alex Isenstadt.
Security concerns about Iran targeting Trump have existed for years since the president ordered an airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian military leader, in 2020. The alleged Iranian plot to kill Trump became publicly known in November when Justice Department officials revealed they had intercepted the plot. Officials have indicted and arrested people in connection to the murder-for-hire plot.
Although Iran is not linked to the July 2024 assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally or the thwarted September 2024 plan in Florida, both incidents elevated security concerns. On the day of the plane decoy, staff were informed that Trump would not be flying with them only moments before takeoff when they realized the now-president's seat was empty.
Chris LaCivita, a political consultant who served as a senior advisor to Trump's recent campaign, told staffers that the decoy plane plan was "a sort of test for how things may happen in the future." Staffers told Isenstadt that the flight was a "surreal" experience with "gallows humor galore."
Isenstadt's account of the event reveals that Trump was more troubled by the claims of an Iranian assassination plot than he publicly let on. The president recently revealed that he left his staff "instructions" to obliterate Iran should they succeed in killing him.
6 Comments
The Truth
Flying on a separate plane? Seriously? That's beyond paranoid, even for Trump.
Answer
The fact that the media is focusing on this story is just another example of their bias against Trump.
The Truth
Trump's "instructions" to obliterate Iran are irresponsible and dangerous. He has no right to make such a decision without consulting with Congress and the American people.
Answer
Obliterating Iran? That's a terrifying and impulsive response. This is what happens when someone with zero diplomatic experience gets their hands on the nuclear codes.
Africa
I'm all for protecting the president, but this seems like an excessive and unnecessary measure. It's just creating more panic and paranoia.
Eugene Alta
The decoy plane plan was a smart move. It kept Trump safe and showed Iran that we're not afraid of them.