美国特勤局在7月8日从土耳其北约峰会撤离特朗普时，采取了一项非同寻常的欺骗行动[1][3]。特朗普被隐藏在机场餐饮容器中，通过侧门秘密登上一架军用波音757飞机（C-32A），而装载超过100名随行人员、官员和记者的空军一号则作为诱饵升空前往英国[1][2][3]。这些被留在飞机上的人员未被告知存在生命威胁[2]。
这一行动是为应对伊朗的可信攻击威胁[2][3]。前特勤局探员罗伯特·麦克唐纳将这种策略描述为"壳牌游戏"，这在总统保护中是常见的欺骗战术[1]。总统车队通常包含两辆"野兽"豪车，其中一辆载总统，另一辆作为诱饵[1]。历史上，克林顿、小布什和拜登也都进行过类似的秘密行动[1]。
特朗普的行踪在整个英国停留期间及其后数周内被隐瞒[3]。专家认为这种做法前所未有，因为虽然历史上存在秘密总统出访，但都在风险过去后向公众披露[3]。白宫通讯主任史蒂文·周表示："正如总统最近所说，美国有许多敌人将目光投向他，我们使用一切可用工具来应对这些威胁"[3]。此外，特朗普最初乘坐的卡塔尔赠送的豪华喷气机缺少导弹探测和对抗措施系统[3]。民主党已要求国会就这一事件进行听证会[2]。
The U.S. Secret Service orchestrated an unusual covert operation in July 2024 when President Trump departed from a NATO summit in Turkey, employing what former agents describe as a "shell game" to obscure his true movements [1]. Rather than departing openly on Air Force One, Trump was secretly transferred via a catering vehicle to a smaller military aircraft, a C-32A Boeing 757, which then flew to RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom, while the presidential plane served as a decoy carrying over 100 staff members, officials, and journalists who were not informed of an underlying threat [1][2]. The operation was prompted by credible intelligence regarding an Iranian assassination plot against the president [2][3].
The scale and secrecy of this maneuver distinguished it from historical precedent. Trump arrived in Turkey aboard a luxury Qatari jet that lacked advanced missile detection and countermeasures systems [3]. Upon reaching the airfield, he was concealed within a catering container to board the government aircraft [3]. Former Secret Service agent Robert McDonald characterized the tactic as "the shell game we call it," explaining that presidential motorcades routinely employ two identical armored vehicles—one carrying the president and one serving as a decoy—to mitigate threats [1]. Similar clandestine operations occurred under Presidents Clinton in 2000, George W. Bush in 2003, and Joe Biden in 2023, though those incidents were disclosed to the public only after the danger had passed [1]. In this instance, Trump's whereabouts remained concealed for weeks [3]. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung stated: "As the president recently said, America has many enemies with their sights set on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address these threats" [3]. The incident has prompted Democratic calls for congressional hearings into the handling of the security operation [2].