{"id":41505,"date":"2026-08-12T19:49:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T14:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41505"},"modified":"2026-08-12T19:49:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T14:49:03","slug":"trumps-catering-truck-caper-vox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41505","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s catering truck caper | Vox"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"zephr-anchor\">\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\"><em>This story appeared in <\/em>Today, Explained,<em> a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/today-explained-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Subscribe here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">It\u2019s not exactly the stuff of Netflix spy thrillers, <em>but<\/em>\u2026it\u2019s also not every day that the president makes a covert getaway in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/picture-gallery\/news\/politics\/2026\/08\/11\/trump-catering-truck-assassination-plot-photo\/91255397007\/\">a catering truck<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">White House officials revealed on Monday that, before a flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month, President Donald Trump used the truck to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/10\/us\/politics\/trump-plane-ruse.html\">secretly move between planes<\/a>, then switched aircraft again after landing in Britain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">The ruse deceived both Trump\u2019s press corps and many of his staff, who weren\u2019t warned of the last-minute plan in advance. But the deception was undertaken, officials said, in response to an assassination threat from Iran.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Such plots are one tool weaker powers can wield in asymmetric warfare, or conflict between unevenly matched opponents. Iran can\u2019t strike the US homeland with conventional military force the way the US can strike Iran.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">As the catering truck caper attests, however, that doesn\u2019t put Americans entirely beyond Tehran\u2019s grasp. Instead, Iran is finding other, less conventional ways to inflict damage on US turf \u2014 from assassination plots to cyberattacks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">We might need a bigger catering truck to escape all of <em>that<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p><h2 class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>\u201cWe have more cybersecurity regulations for your credit card than we have for the nation\u2019s water supply.\u201d <\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\"><em>\u2014 Joshua Corman, founder of I Am the Cavalry, a digital security nonprofit<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Iran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/today-explained-newsletter\/486799\/iran-war-questions-uranium-strait-of-hormuz-ammunition-cyberattacks\">doesn\u2019t appear<\/a> able to launch the kind of major cyberattacks that would seriously disrupt Americans\u2019 daily lives en masse. But over the past five months, attacks linked to Iran and pro-Iranian groups have targeted US <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/03\/11\/politics\/pro-iran-hackers-cyberattack-medical-device-maker\">medical device makers,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.securityweek.com\/bluesky-disrupted-by-sophisticated-ddos-attack\/\">social networks<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defenseone.com\/threats\/2026\/04\/iran-hackers-infrastructure-cyberattacks\/412941\/\">public transit agencies<\/a>, and \u2014 most recently, and perhaps most alarmingly \u2014 small-town utilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">Unknown hackers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/future-perfect\/498156\/cyberattack-iran-water-hackers-cybersecurity\">compromised the water and wastewater systems of municipalities in at least 12 states last month<\/a>, prompting water shut-offs, flooding and boil-water notices in a handful of locations. Cybersecurity experts think Iran is most likely behind the breaches. And American water systems \u2014 which are overwhelmingly run by small, local agencies \u2014 are especially vulnerable to this type of attack. They have little in the way of IT support, and relatively few state or federal laws require them to take cybersecurity precautions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">It isn\u2019t just utilities at risk, either. Over the past 10 years, Iranian hackers have also breached US targets ranging from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/opa\/pr\/state-sponsored-iranian-hackers-indicted-computer-intrusions-us-satellite-companies?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">satellite companies<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/opa\/pr\/three-irgc-cyber-actors-indicted-hack-and-leak-operation-designed-influence-2024-us?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">political campaigns<\/a>. And if the war continues to stretch on, some analysts believe the country\u2019s hacks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/how-tehrans-use-cyber-operations-us-iran-conflict-has-evolved\">could grow<\/a> more aggressive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\">The Trump administration hasn\u2019t shown any great desire to address this risk, alas. Just a few months ago, it proposed $707 million in cuts to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency \u2014 the people responsible for protecting the nation\u2019s infrastructure from cyber threats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _10sa9omi itxwjq1 itxwjq0 pn04iq1\"><strong>\u27a8 Ignorance <em>can<\/em> truly be bliss. <\/strong>Many of us feel the very modern compulsion to suck up all the information we can: about the news, about our bodies, about random subjects we encounter on the internet. But that deluge of daily data can overwhelm both your mental bandwidth and your mental health. Try letting go of some of these low-stakes tidbits <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/advice\/497314\/information-overload-overwhelm-deliberate-ignorance\">so you can focus on subjects that most deserve your attention<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"duet--article--block-placement _13j8zv41 _13j8zv40 duet--article--article-body-component\">\n<ul class=\"duet--article--unordered-list _10sa9omi uyby7v0 pn04iq1\">\n<li class=\"uyby7v1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Did you know\u2026<\/strong>that pigs are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/future-perfect\/2019\/10\/11\/20909685\/pigs-use-tools-video-study-animal-intelligence\">smart enough to use tools<\/a> without human prompting? <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"uyby7v1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Today\u2019s trivia:<\/strong> Vientiane is the capital of which Southeast Asian country? (You can find this and other brain puzzles <a href=\"https:\/\/link.vox.com\/click\/6a46cfd46352b082500e86fe\/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudm94LmNvbS8yMTUyMzIxMi9jcm9zc3dvcmQtcHV6emxlcy1mcmVlLWRhaWx5LXByaW50YWJsZT91ZWlkPWM3Mzg0ZDJhYzRmZDQ0YzcyZDI4OGQ4N2YxZjM5NDlh\/664389def568f1a4620aa3aeC7b08b10b\">in Vox\u2019s daily crossword<\/a>. Look for the answer in tomorrow\u2019s edition.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"uyby7v1\"><span class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup\"><strong>Yesterday\u2019s trivia:<\/strong> Yesterday we asked you for Dorothy\u2019s last name in <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em>. That would be Gale. Author L. Frank Baum is believed to have borrowed the name from either <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/05\/28\/science\/earth\/storm-kings-review-where-tornadoes-dug-in-so-did-they.html\">the victim of an 1879 tornado<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/mchistory.org\/research\/biographies\/gage-dorothy-louise\">his late infant niece<\/a>, who died in 1898 at just over five months old.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. It\u2019s not exactly the stuff of Netflix spy thrillers, but\u2026it\u2019s also not every day that the president makes a covert getaway in a catering truck. White House officials revealed on Monday&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/platform.vox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/gettyimages-2285273375.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.743748277762%2C100%2C78.512503444475&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}