Trump's secret plane swap in Ankara raises questions about leadership style

At Ankara airport, the U.S. president initially entered Air Force One before being moved to a smaller military jet under a separate call sign to evade a credible Iranian missile danger. The press corps and support staff stayed aboard the original plane, were instructed to keep the shades lowered, and were not told that the president had departed. The author, a veteran of the Australian army Special Forces, frames the episode as a failure of leadership, saying true leadership requires credibility, reliability and shared risk.

He contends that the president placed his own safety and secrecy above the informed consent of his staff, eroding trust. While acknowledging the security rationale, he argues that journalists covering a leader should be warned of threats so they can decide their own risk. The piece cites the Committee to Protect Journalists and draws parallels to military command where shared risk builds loyalty.