"There's nowhere I'd rather spend Thanksgiving than with the toughest, fiercest warriors," Trump told troops on the ground. As part of the security measures phones were taken from all onboard, including senior White House officials. Accompanying Trump was White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere, and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. Grisham said that only a tight circle of White House officials knew about the trip, and the White House even scheduled tweets to be sent out from the president’s account during the Internet blackout that he faced. Due to security concerns, the White House notified Ghani only “a few hours ago,” according to the White House.

Source: Fox News November 29, 2019 13:31 UTC