Democrats have called for a congressional briefing following revelations that former President Donald Trump was secretly transferred to a different plane than the one the public and press believed he was traveling on. This incident occurred last month when US intelligence allegedly identified a credible threat that Iran plotted to kill Trump.

According to reports, Trump left the old Air Force One jet in a catering truck and was shuttled to a smaller plane, while more than a hundred aides, officials, and reporters remained onboard the original plane flying toward Britain from Turkey without being informed of the threat to their lives.

Steven Cash, executive director of the non-profit Steady State and a former CIA intelligence officer, stated, “It appears that the idea was we can reduce the danger to President Trump by offering up 100 or so people to be killed by the Iranians in his place.”

The Guardian provided video footage showing how Trump initially boarded the old Air Force One in view of television cameras before being secretly moved via the catering truck.

In related political news, Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, won her Democratic primary for US Senate in a race focused on immigration enforcement. She defeated congresswoman Angie Craig and emphasized the importance of choosing meaningful fights over perceived winnable battles.

Additionally, in South Carolina’s abbreviated special Republican primary, Darline Graham, appointed to complete the Senate term of her late brother Lindsey Graham, will face congressman Ralph Norman in a runoff scheduled for August 25. The winner will compete against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the November midterms.

Other news includes the Bumble dating app announcing it will drop its women-first messaging rule, a defining feature since its 2014 launch, and critics urging US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from an upcoming climate accountability case after disclosures revealed he earned up to $2.9 million from oil and gas interests between 2005 and 2024.

Sources

  • Guardian US, "Anger after Trump’s secret flight swap appears to offer up staff and media as decoys | First Thing," August 12, 2026, link