Donald Trump is reported to have orchestrated an elaborate plan to secretly leave Air Force One last month, reportedly departing via a catering cart. Internet sleuths believe the president handpicked certain favourites to sneak away with him amid threats from Iran, while his cabinet and reporters boarded Air Force One in Turkey.
Selected Aides and Cabinet Members
Those said to have been chosen included his aides Natalie Harp and Walt Nauta, leaving senior cabinet figures Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, along with members of the press, to board the flight and take off into potential danger.
"The Valet and Human Printer over Cabinet is wild," wrote one user on X, who believes Trump selected favourites to make his escape with him.
Harp's Reported Close Bond
Harp, dubbed online as Trump's "human printer," has been a constant presence around the president, fuelling rumours and speculation regarding her role within the White House. Her official responsibilities include printing emails and articles for Trump, as well as managing social media tasks such as posting on Trump's Truth Social account.
In "Regime Change," the book authored by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Harp is portrayed as one of the more influential figures within Trump's administration. The book further alleges Harp left intensely personal letters for the 80 year old president to find in his private quarters.
Escape Strategy Disclosed
In one, she purportedly wrote, "You are all that matters to me." Trump is said to have responded with his own pledge of devotion, reportedly telling others that Harp, unlike his other aides, "will never leave me."
Trump's elaborate escape strategy was initially disclosed this week by The Washington Post, which referenced sources who claimed the president slipped away from Air Force One and boarded a smaller aircraft bound for the U.K. Trump on July 8 stated that he was departing the NATO summit in Ankara on the traditional Air Force One and not the jet that had been gifted Qatar, which he travelled to Turkey on.
The Post revealed that following boarding, Trump was moved to a catering trolley. He was subsequently spotted in the U.K. disembarking Air Force One, leaving it uncertain how he returned to the aircraft.
