President Donald Trump reportedly switched planes secretly in Turkey in July over an assassination threat from Iran, according to US media reports. The official Air Force One was used as a decoy while Trump left on a smaller military aircraft.
Specifically, while publicly announcing he would leave the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8 aboard the older version of Air Force One, Trump was actually ushered into a catering container and moved to a smaller C-32A aircraft, which then flew to the United Kingdom, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
A US official said the diversion was triggered by a credible threat linked to Iran against Trump. Earlier, US media had reported that the Iran threat was the reason Trump did not fly out of Turkey on the new Air Force One – a Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar – which he had used to arrive in the country.
Trump at the time said he would take the older Boeing 747 “for nostalgia.” However, several US outlets reported that threats from Iran-linked armed groups prompted the switch.
“Many Enemies Targeting Him”
Reporters who thought they were traveling with Trump on the old Air Force One, which served as a decoy, said they were advised to close the window shades in the press cabin, raising suspicions of security concerns. The Post said that in addition to reporters, some White House staff also believed the president was on that aircraft.
After arriving in the UK, Trump appeared before the media as he stepped off the older Air Force One, though it remains unclear how he moved from the C-32A to that aircraft, according to The Post. Trump later flew back to Washington, DC, on the new plane gifted by Qatar.
Responding to reports about Trump’s plane switch, White House Communications Director Steve Cheung defended the Qatar-gifted aircraft and said the US uses “every tool” to deal with threats from abroad.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft, equipped with high-level security procedures to ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Cheung’s statement said. “As the President has recently said, there are many enemies of America targeting him, and we use every tool available to address those threats.”
