By now you’ve heard that when Donald Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey last month, he was clandestinely transferred from Air Force One to an alternative plane to avert a credible Iranian threat. It appears many of his cabinet members were left on Air Force One. Now new leaks make the story look darker: It turns out Trump brought several of the aides who are personally closest to him on the safe alternative flight. This, even as he left numerous journalists on the original plane, an extraordinarily derelict move that effectively turned them into a decoy that might have been targeted. Stunningly, none were informed of the operation. It all perfectly captures Trump’s contempt for the media, so we talked to Margaret Sullivan, author of the excellent press-critiquing Substack “American Crisis.” She explains why this saga is so irregular, why the media faces a moment of uncommon challenges, and why journalists often won’t directly confront authoritarianism, even when it gravely threatens their own institution. Listen to this episode here.
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Trump Secret Plane Swap Suddenly Looks Darker as Damning New Leaks Hit
As Trump’s plane escape starts looking worse, press critic Margaret Sullivan explains what this tells us about his abusive relationship with the media—and ponders whether anything will be learned from it.
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