According to the exclusive report by The Washington Post, Trump initially boarded the Boeing 747 in view of television cameras. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the smaller aircraft separately using external stairs and traveled with Trump to Britain. Journalists and some White House staff remained aboard the Boeing 747 without knowing Trump had switched aircraft. Trump’s aircraft traveled to Britain using the call sign “Reach 18,” or “RCH18,” while the decoy initially appeared on radar without a call sign. Despite Trump not being aboard, it began using the “AF1” call sign during the flight.