Rubio and Bessent flew on alternate plane after Trump was switched off before takeoff

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent departed the NATO summit in Ankara last month aboard the same aircraft that President Donald Trump had been secretly moved off of before takeoff, according to several news outlets. The switch was reported on Wednesday, with the two officials leaving the summit on a flight that had originally been assigned to the former president.

A senior U.S. official told the Associated Press that Rubio was aware of the change and the potential implications of the move. The officials had been scheduled to travel to Turkey for the NATO meeting, but the president’s plane was diverted prior to departure, prompting the reassignment of the U.S. delegation to a different aircraft. The details of the decision-making process and the reasons for the president’s removal from the flight were not disclosed.

The incident has drawn attention to the logistical arrangements surrounding high‑profile diplomatic events. While no official statement has clarified the circumstances, the move appears to have been a routine adjustment to the flight plan, and the U.S. delegation proceeded to the summit as planned.