As Donald Trump campaigned for the presidency in 2024, a shadow war unfolded behind the scenes—one that had Iranian assassins, decoy planes, and high-level security maneuvers. According to Alex Isenstadt’s upcoming book, Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power, reported on by Axios, Iran’s efforts to eliminate Trump were far more advanced than the public ever knew, forcing his team to take extraordinary precautions, including deploying a decoy plane to thwart a possible missile strike.

U.S. intelligence had long warned that Tehran was hunting Trump, seeking revenge for his 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. But by 2024, those threats had escalated to terrifying new levels. Officials informed Trump’s security detail that Iranian operatives had infiltrated the U.S. and had access to surface-to-air missiles—a chilling revelation that sent shockwaves through his campaign team.

The concern became alarmingly real after a September 15 assassination attempt at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. While Iran was not directly linked to that incident—or to the shocking Butler, Pennsylvania rally shooting two months earlier, in which a bullet grazed Trump’s ear—the risks were mounting.

With Trump’s highly recognizable jet, “Trump Force One,” a prime target, his team feared that a surface-to-air missile strike could bring the plane down during takeoff or landing. That fear led to an unprecedented security operation: Trump would be secretly switched to a decoy plane.

In a move reminiscent of Cold War espionage, Trump ditched his signature jet at the last moment before a scheduled event. Instead, he boarded a plane owned by real estate mogul Steve Witkoff, a close ally who now serves as Trump’s envoy to the Middle East.

But Trump’s campaign staffers were left in the dark—many only realizing the switch as the plane taxied for takeoff and Trump’s usual seat remained empty.

“The boss ain’t riding with us today,” co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita informed the stunned staff. “We had to put him into another plane. This is nothing but a sort of test for how things may happen in the future.”

For the staff still onboard Trump Force One, the realization was chilling: If Iran was targeting Trump’s plane, they were now sitting in the bullseye. Some privately wondered if they were being used as bait—a suspicion that campaign leaders struggled to calm.

The atmosphere inside the jet was tense, surreal, and laced with dark humor. Some aides later nicknamed it the “Ghost Flight”—a haunting reminder of the unseen war unfolding around them.

The threat against Trump wasn’t confined to the skies. Just days after the decoy flight, the Secret Service received intelligence that an assassination attempt was being planned for his motorcade following a September 18 rally on Long Island, New York.

The warning was dire: Snipers could be lying in wait.

“Don’t… hang out the window and take photos, because you’re a… target,” LaCivita half-joked to Trump’s longtime social media guru Dan Scavino, as campaign leaders tightened security measures.

One week later, in Pennsylvania, another eerie moment unfolded. As Trump’s motorcade sped through the state, agents spotted a drone following them—a possible surveillance or strike tool. Without hesitation, officers opened the moonroof of a car and used an electromagnetic gun to disable it.

Publicly, Trump remained defiant, often boasting about the Soleimani strike at his rallies. But privately, his team noticed a shift. As the threats became more real, he began mentioning Soleimani less and focusing more on event security.

Even more telling, Trump worried about how voters would perceive the constant danger he faced.

“Would Americans,” he mused to aides, “want to go through four years of their president being under threat?”

It was an unspoken but growing concern: Would the electorate embrace a leader whose very existence was a battlefield?

Last week, in a blunt message to Tehran, Trump sent a chilling ultimatum: If Iranian operatives succeeded in killing him, he had already given orders to “obliterate” Iran in retaliation.

Later, he softened the rhetoric, saying he still hoped for a “verified nuclear peace agreement.” But the message was clear—Iran’s shadow war against Trump had consequences.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)