United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that he secretly switched planes after leaving a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Turkey last month because of a possible security threat.
Trump said the decision was made by the US Secret Service and military officials, who instructed him to use a different aircraft as he departed Ankara on 8 July.
“I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane,” Trump told reporters during a visit to Ohio on Tuesday. “I just have to do what they say.”
The revelation follows reports that Trump initially boarded the older Air Force One in full view of television cameras before being secretly moved to a smaller military aircraft.
According to reports, Trump was transported from the presidential aircraft in a catering truck that had been raised to the level of the plane’s door, allowing him to leave without being seen by journalists and other passengers.
US officials told CBS News that American authorities had detected a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the aircraft. The New York Times also reported that US intelligence had information about a person near the NATO summit who had reportedly been seen with a shoulder-fired missile.
Trump suggested that the alternative aircraft he boarded may itself have been at greater risk.
“It could have been at greater risk,” he said. “Because that would be the plane, I think, that they would be more likely to go for.”
The president said he did not ask for extensive details about the reported threat, adding that he regularly receives threats against his life.
“I guess there was a threat out there,” Trump said. “I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats.”
He added: “I have a lot of threats that you don’t know about.”
Trump had arrived in Turkey aboard a newer Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar but had announced that he would return on the older Air Force One “for old time’s sake”.
Footage showed him boarding the presidential aircraft at Ankara airport on 8 July.
However, according to the Washington Post, Trump later exited the aircraft onto a catering truck positioned on the opposite side of the plane from where he had initially boarded.
The truck then transported him to a nearby C-32A military aircraft, a modified Boeing 757 frequently used by senior US officials, including the vice-president.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly boarded the C-32A separately using external stairs, helping to make the transfer appear routine.
Meanwhile, journalists and some White House staff remained on the original Air Force One. They were reportedly instructed to keep the aircraft’s window shades closed and were unaware that Trump was no longer aboard.
A media pool producer on the aircraft said the instructions appeared unusual. A photographer who briefly opened a window shade was reportedly told to close it.
The White House Correspondents’ Association described further details of the operation in a report released on Tuesday.
Although the aircraft carrying Trump was technically not Air Force One, as the presidential call sign applies to whichever aircraft is carrying the president, the C-32A used the call sign “Reach 18”. The original aircraft continued using “AF1” to maintain the appearance that Trump was still aboard.
Members of Trump’s cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were reportedly among those who remained on the original aircraft.
Trump’s plane switch has raised questions about whether journalists and other passengers who remained aboard the decoy aircraft were exposed to the same potential threat without being informed.
Jose Zamora, regional director for the Americas at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the administration had a responsibility to protect journalists travelling with the president.
“The Trump administration has a responsibility to ensure that journalists covering the president are not unnecessarily exposed to danger,” he said.
He added that reporters should be informed of credible security threats so they could make informed decisions about their safety.
Trump eventually travelled to the UK aboard the C-32A before reboarding the older Air Force One at RAF Mildenhall. It remains unclear how the president was transferred back to the presidential aircraft.
He later switched again to the newer Air Force One donated by Qatar for the journey back to Washington.
The secret operation took place a day after the US resumed military strikes against Iran following the breakdown of negotiations between Washington and Tehran to end the conflict.
During his visit to Turkey, Trump had previously described himself as Iran’s “number one target” and said he faced constant threats.
The circumstances surrounding the reported Iranian threat and the intelligence that prompted the unusual aircraft switch have not been publicly detailed.
(BBC News)
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