Veteran journalist Susan Page, now USA Today's Washington bureau chief, has broken a 26-year silence to reveal that the Clinton administration secretly briefed journalists before deploying a decoy aircraft during President Bill Clinton's high-risk visit to Pakistan in March 2000. Page, who was then president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said officials summoned her for an off-the-record briefing before Clinton flew from India to Pakistan, according to The Washington Post.

What Happened in March 2000

An aircraft bearing the markings of Air Force One landed before television cameras in Islamabad. A Secret Service agent resembling Clinton emerged from the plane. An unmarked aircraft then landed separately, and the president disembarked from it. The elaborate ruse was designed to protect Clinton amid what officials described as extraordinary security dangers associated with the Pakistan leg of the trip.

'They told me about the extraordinary security procedures being taken because of the dangers in flying there, including use of the decoy plane,' Page said. 'Of course, the dangers threatened the journalists covering the trip as well as President Clinton.'

Why Page Is Speaking Now

Page said she had kept silent for over two decades out of respect for the off-the-record ground rules of the original briefing. She decided to come forward now because more than a quarter-century had elapsed — and because the deception became self-evident the moment Clinton stepped off the unmarked plane in Islamabad.

'I haven't spoken about this episode before, because of the off-the-record ground rules of the discussion,' Page said. 'But since more than a quarter-century has passed — and since the ruse became evident as soon as President Clinton disembarked in Pakistan — I think it's OK for me to relay it now.'

The Trump Parallel That Triggered the Disclosure

Page's disclosure was prompted by a Washington Post report that President Donald Trump secretly changed aircraft last month while departing Turkey, following a credible threat from Iran. According to that report, Trump was moved via an airport catering truck to an unmarked Air Force C-32A, while the presidential aircraft carrying the press corps and staff served as a decoy. Journalists aboard the decoy plane had been instructed to keep their window shades closed throughout the flight.

Critically, unlike the Clinton-era operation, reporters were not informed about the aircraft change or the extent of the threat in the Trump case. The White House had publicly stated that Trump departed Turkey aboard the former Air Force One.

White House Response

White House communications director Steven Cheung defended the security measures without directly addressing the reported deception. 'As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who seek his demise, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,' Cheung said. Trump himself later told reporters he faced a continuing threat from Iran, adding: 'But if I go, you go. Right? Perhaps someday you want to change professions.'

What This Means for Press Freedom

The White House press pool — a rotating group of journalists who travel with and report on the president on behalf of the broader news media — exists precisely to provide an independent account of presidential movements and activities when access is restricted. The contrast between the two operations has reignited debate about the boundaries of legitimate security secrecy and the press's right to account for the president's whereabouts. Notably, the Clinton administration chose to brief the pool chief in advance; the Trump administration did not extend the same courtesy, according to the Post's reporting.