President Donald Trump confirmed Tuesday that he was secretly transferred off Air Force One using a catering truck in Turkey following a credible assassination threat from Iran, but pushed back against criticism over using the presidential aircraft as a decoy.

Speaking to reporters, Trump addressed growing scrutiny after details emerged that over 100 aides, officials, and journalists were left on board the primary jet unaware of the threat while Trump was flown on a smaller military C-32A.

Dismissing concerns over the decoy flight, Trump argued that he was actually the one in more danger. “I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump said, adding that he simply follows orders from his security team. “I just follow what they’d like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military.”

The White House defended the operation, stating that every tool is used to counter threats against the president. However, the revelation has drawn fierce pushback from Democrats and media watchdogs, who are calling for congressional briefings into why civilians were left in the dark and effectively deployed as human decoys.