Trump secretly switched plane in Turkey due to Iran's assassination threat

WASHINGTON — What appeared to be an ordinary presidential departure from Turkey last month was, according to reports, a carefully concealed security operation in which President Donald Trump was quietly moved off Air Force One and onto another military aircraft before flying to Britain.

The unusual manoeuvre reportedly involved Trump being transferred from the presidential aircraft through an airport catering truck — a deception designed to keep his actual location from becoming known amid concerns over a potential Iranian threat.

The Washington Post, citing a U.S. official familiar with the operation and material it reviewed, reported that Trump initially boarded an older Air Force One aircraft in Ankara after attending the NATO summit. But shortly after the plane appeared ready to depart, he was secretly moved to a smaller Air Force C-32A.

The New York Times separately reported a similar account, citing U.S. officials.

The operation effectively turned the older Air Force One into a decoy, with journalists and some White House personnel apparently believing Trump remained aboard.

The hidden switch

Trump's aircraft movements had already attracted attention because he had arrived in Ankara aboard the newly refurbished Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, but unexpectedly chose an older presidential aircraft for the first leg of his journey to Britain.

At the time, Trump publicly offered a different explanation.

He said he wanted to fly the older, familiar aircraft “for old time’s sake” to RAF Mildenhall, while the newer jet would also stop there so American service members stationed at the base could tour it.

But the reported operation was far more elaborate than the public explanation suggested.

After Trump boarded the older Air Force One in front of cameras, he was allegedly moved through the airport in a catering vehicle and transferred to the C-32A. The smaller military jet then flew him to Britain.

The journalists travelling with the presidential entourage were reportedly instructed to keep the shades on the windows of the press cabin closed.

During the flight, Trump was asked why the journalists had been told to keep their window shades shut.

He replied: “But if I go, you go. Right?”

The C-32A carrying Trump arrived in Britain at approximately 10:20 p.m., according to the report, with the older Air Force One and the travelling press arriving shortly afterward.

It remains unclear how Trump was subsequently transferred from the C-32A back to the older Air Force One.

The presidential press pool reported that Trump eventually emerged from the older aircraft at about 10:56 p.m., gave journalists a peace sign and then spent time greeting U.S. military personnel before moving toward the new Qatar-donated jet.

Iran threat behind the deception

The reported deception was prompted by what the Washington Post described as a credible threat to Trump.

The revelation gives new significance to Trump's comments during the journey, when he acknowledged that Iran had threatened him.

Asked whether he was aware of a credible threat against Air Force One, Trump said: “I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list.”

The comments came against an exceptionally tense backdrop. The United States and Iran had been engaged in open hostilities, while Turkey — where Trump attended the NATO summit — shares a border with Iran.

The reported use of a decoy presidential aircraft has historical precedent. In 2000, President Bill Clinton used an unmarked executive aircraft to secretly enter Pakistan while the formal Air Force One was used as a decoy.

Trump's reported transfer was even more elaborate, involving multiple aircraft and an airport vehicle intended to conceal the president's movements.

Questions surrounding the Qatar jet

The episode has also intensified scrutiny of the new aircraft donated by Qatar.

The Boeing 747-8, valued at roughly $400 million, was given to the United States and rapidly modified to serve as a temporary Air Force One while Boeing continues work on the next generation of presidential aircraft.

Trump had made the Qatar-donated plane his primary presidential aircraft and used it to travel to the NATO summit in Turkey.

But concerns had already been raised over whether the hastily modified aircraft possessed all the sophisticated defensive capabilities found on the older presidential jets.

Reports have cited questions over missing or incomplete security systems, including advanced antimissile capabilities. Trump has denied that security concerns were responsible for the switch, while the White House has insisted the aircraft is safe for presidential travel.

The White House later said the Qatar-donated aircraft would undergo additional upgrades and enhancements, a process expected to take about a month, during which Trump would return to the older Air Force One.

The new jet is intended as a bridge between the ageing presidential aircraft currently in service and the next-generation Air Force One planes being built by Boeing.

The security story becomes a press-freedom fight

The secrecy surrounding Trump's aircraft movements has since spilled into a separate confrontation between the administration and the press.

The Justice Department subpoenaed several New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns surrounding the Qatar-donated aircraft, seeking information connected to their reporting and sources.

The government said the reporters themselves were not targets and that the investigation was focused on people suspected of leaking classified information. Press-freedom advocates, however, condemned the subpoenas as an aggressive attempt to intimidate journalists.

The dispute eventually reached federal court. A judge raised what he described as “profound First Amendment and free press issues,” and the Justice Department agreed to withdraw the subpoenas after the court challenge.

That development has added another layer to an already extraordinary episode: a presidential flight concealed from the public, a decoy Air Force One, a secret transfer to a smaller military aircraft and a subsequent legal battle over reporting on the security of the president's new jet.

For the White House, the episode underscores the seriousness of threats against Trump.

For those responsible for protecting the president, it demonstrates how far the security apparatus can go to obscure his movements.

And for the public, it raises an unusual question about presidential travel: when Trump appeared to board Air Force One in Ankara, was he actually on the plane at all?