The Washington Post reported Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump took a secret military flight to leave Turkey last month due to an Iranian threat. The White House indicated that he was aboard Air Force One.
Trump initially boarded the newly refurbished Air Force One, provided by Qatar, to attend the NATO summit in Ankara. However, he unexpectedly departed the country using the older presidential aircraft.
This marked the first international journey for the new aircraft amidst rising tensions with Iran, which borders Turkey.
The newspaper, citing a U.S. official and another source familiar with the president's travel, revealed that after Trump visibly boarded the older Air Force One in Ankara, he was secretly transferred in an airport catering truck to a smaller C-32A military plane.
This plane flew to the UK, arriving around 10:20 PM, followed by Air Force One and the press shortly thereafter.
On Truth Social, Trump explained he chose the old blue Air Force One “for old times' sake” to travel from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in the UK, as the new aircraft took a detour for inspection by U.S. military personnel.
The elaborate ruse was in response to a credible threat against Trump, similar to a 2000 operation where former President Bill Clinton used a nondescript plane to travel to Pakistan while sending the official Air Force One as a decoy.
What happened?
Journalists who believed they were traveling with Trump on the older Air Force One, which acted as a decoy, were instructed to keep window blinds shut. Some White House staff also believed the president was on board.
When asked why the blinds had to remain closed, Trump said it was likely because “we were probably on a dangerous trip.” He added, “But if I go, you go, right?”
The C-32A carrying Trump arrived in the UK at about 10:20 PM, and the older Air Force One followed shortly. It remains unclear how Trump transferred back to the older Air Force One.
Press accompanying Trump reported seeing him disembark the older aircraft at 10:56 PM local time, waving a peace sign but not addressing reporters. He spent some time greeting military personnel before heading to the new Qatar-provided plane.
When the White House was asked to comment, Communications Director Steve Chang provided a statement highlighting the high-level security protocols for the Qatar-provided aircraft to protect the president and his staff.
He added, “As the President recently stated, there are numerous enemies targeting him, and we use all available means to counter these threats.”
This statement was also provided to The Washington Post.