Donald Trump wasn't the first president to take a decoy plane during a foreign trip in the name of safety.
The Washington Post has reported that Trump secretly flew from Turkey in July on a military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard the traditional Air Force One, a step taken because of security threats from Iran.
In 2000, President Bill Clinton flew from India to Pakistan in an unmarked plane that followed the traditional Air Force One. The ruse was revealed when he disembarked from the second plane for a six-hour visit marked by extraordinary security.
Before the flight, White House press secretary Joe Lockhart and other Clinton officials honored the tradition of keeping representatives of the White House press corps informed
about the president's whereabouts.
At the time, this reporter was president of the White House Correspondents Association and covering the trip for USA TODAY. Before we left Bombay, White House officials took me aside for an off-the-record conversation to discuss the extraordinary security precautions being taken.
We also discussed concerns about the safety of the small group of journalists aboard the familiar Air Force One and the larger group traveling on the chartered press plane, which landed in Islamabad in advance of the White House planes.
In modern times, all U.S. presidents have agreed, sometimes reluctantly, to be accompanied by a small "pool" of journalists when they are on the road or at public events. The system ensures that independent observers are aware of the president's whereabouts and well-being, a practice of particular importance at times of crisis.
I was aboard the press plane for the flight. As far as I know, I was the only journalist who was aware of the president's plane switch. Of course, when he landed, the world realized he had switched to the unmarked plane.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Before Trump, Clinton took a decoy plane for safety. I was there
