Trump isn’t the only President to execute a decoy mission
Although rare, a decoy maneuver such as this is not unheard of when it comes to presidential travel.
A similar episode occurred in March 2000, when former President Bill Clinton secretly switched to a decoy jet, with all of the markings of Air Force One, as he traveled to Islamabad, Pakistan for a visit marked by extraordinary security.
The switch was revealed when a Secret Service agent resembling Clinton stepped out of Air Force One upon touching down in Pakistan, while Clinton disembarked from the second aircraft.
However, at least one member of the White House pool was aware of the ruse: Susan Page, then-president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, who was covering the trip for USA TODAY.
Page this week broke her 26-year silence on the briefing that preceded the secret switch.
“They told me about the extraordinary security procedures being taken because of the dangers in flying there, including use of the decoy plane,” she told the Post. “Of course, the dangers threatened the journalists covering the trip as well as President Clinton.”
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