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Thursday, August 13, 2026
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Thursday, August 13, 2026
Hegseth and several other close aides joined Trump on decoy flight — report
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As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth watches at left, US President Donald Trump walks from the legacy Air Force One to switch planes at US Air Force Base, RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk Eastern England, on his way back to Washington from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and several close White House aides accompanied President Donald Trump on a military plane that he flew out of Turkey on after sneaking off Air Force One due to an Iranian threat, CBS News reports.
The report notes that as an apparent part of the deception, Hegseth was seen boarding the military plane, unlike Trump and aides Natalie Harp, Dan Scavino and Walt Nauta, who accompanied the president inside the catering truck that was used to secretly take him off Air Force One.
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