Last month, the White House claimed Trump had ditched his Qatari-gifted jet and instead departed Turkey on Air Force One, a decision experts chalked up to security equipment concerns . In reality, Trump had been “secretly shuttled” from Air Force One via a catering truck to an “alternate military aircraft,” The Washington Post first reported Monday. The cause for the ruse was a supposed Iranian assassination threat, the Post reported, making Air Force One – and all of its occupants, including journalists and Trump’s staffers – a “decoy,” according to one U.S. official who spoke with the Post anonymously. “Now, it turns out Trump wasn’t on that plane either – he was smuggled off the plane in a catering truck. White House spokesperson Steven Cheng defended the bait-and-switch maneuver when speaking with CNN Tuesday, Komu reported .