Iran threat prompted secret Trump flight from Turkiye: Reports

An Iranian assassination threat prompted United States President Donald Trump to secretly switch planes in Turkiye last month, with Air Force One serving as a decoy while he flew out on a smaller military aircraft, according to US media reports.

While Trump publicly stated he would depart the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8 on an older version of Air Force One, he was actually spirited into a catering container, which then ferried him to a small C-32A aircraft that took him to the United Kingdom, The Washington Post and The New York Times reported.

The “deception operation” was triggered by a credible Iran-related threat to Trump, The Post cited a US official as saying.

The Iranian threat had previously been reported by US media as the reason that Trump did not fly out of Turkiye on board the new Air Force One – a Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar – which he had used to fly into the country.

Trump said at the time he would be taking the older Boeing 747 “for old time’s sake”. However, several US media outlets reported that a threat from Iran-aligned armed groups had prompted the switch.

‘Many enemies have sights on him’

Journalists who thought they were traveling with Trump on the older Air Force One, which was effectively used as a decoy, reported being advised to keep their window shades ⁠in the press cabin closed – furthering suspicions of security concerns. The Post said aside from reporters, some White House staff ⁠also believed that the president was on board.

Once in the UK, Trump appeared before the media exiting the older Air Force One, though it is unclear how he moved from the C-32A to the aircraft, The Post reported. Trump then flew to Washington, DC on board the new, Qatari-gifted plane.

Responding to reports of Trump’s plane switch, White House Communications Director Steve Cheung defended the Qatari-gifted jet and said the US uses “every tool” to counter foreign threats.

“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Cheung’s statement said. “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”