Former Dem Senator Admits on MS NOW That if Trump Were Democrat, They’d Be ‘Glad’ About Plane Switch Protecting Him
Former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill warned that while President Donald Trump’s reported Air Force One escape in July was “weird” — liberal critics would have been “glad” to see the same security maneuver used to protect a Democratic president.
Appearing on MS NOW Tuesday morning with Money Power Politics guest host Antonia Hylton, McCaskill said Democratic commentary might be different if the president was from their party.
“Well, senator, you served on the armed services committee. Do you have questions or would you have questions about this operation, this switcheroo?” Hylton asked.
“Well, I think it’s weird, but I’m kind of with David [Rohde] on this,” she said. “If they had disclosed this after the fact, then I think everyone would be a little more comfortable with it. The fact that we’re finding out from deep source folks that this has happened is probably not great, but they were trying.”
“I think there’s probably was a credible threat, and I don’t think anybody would argue that Iran would like [to assassinate Trump],” she continued.
“We took out their entire senior leadership of their country, and they are extremists, and Trump is their number one enemy. So I understand why they would go to extraordinary lengths to try to protect him if it really was a credible threat.”
“If we had a Democratic president in the same position, I think all of us would say, ‘Well, you know, I’m glad they figured out a way to protect the president better.’ Just because it’s Donald Trump and we think he’s a horrible president, we should keep in mind that the president’s protection is important for our country,” she added. “And it would be a terrible thing for any president to be assassinated, especially by a foreign government.”
The Washington Post reported Monday Trump had secretly switched aircraft while leaving Turkey on July 8 amid concerns over a potential Iranian assassination attempt.
Trump reportedly boarded the presidential Boeing 747 in view of cameras before slipping out another door with several aides and being driven in an airport catering truck to an Air Force C-32A. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined him aboard the smaller aircraft for the flight to Britain.
Reporters and some White House staff remained on the original Air Force One, reportedly unaware Trump had switched planes.
News of the operation, however, prompted a backlash online, with liberal critics seizing on the aircraft’s reported use as a “decoy” and questioning why journalists and staff remained aboard while officials were responding to what they considered a credible threat.
Watch above via MS NOW.
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