President Donald Trump revealed that he had to discreetly exit Air Force One while in Turkey due to a security threat, as advised by the Secret Service and the military.
Trump stated, "I follow the directives of the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to travel on another flight, in another plane," referring to events following his recent visit to Turkey.
His comments confirmed a Washington Post report which detailed that Trump hid in an airport catering box to transfer to another plane, while the decoy Air Force One, filled with White House officials, security staff, and journalists, took off from Turkish airspace as a diversion, amid credible threats from Iran.
After a trip to Ohio, Trump told reporters, "I can only do what they tell me," expressing his distrust of Iran.
Initially traveling to Ankara for a NATO summit on the newly refurbished Air Force One provided by Qatar, Trump unexpectedly switched to an older presidential plane when departing, raising questions about the new plane's security.
Trump used the "light blue old days" presidential aircraft from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain, with the new plane temporarily stationed there for U.S. military inspection.
According to the Washington Post, after boarding the old Air Force One in Ankara in front of cameras, Trump was secretly transferred via an airport catering truck to a smaller military plane, a C-32A, in response to credible threats against him.
This covert operation mirrors a precedent from 2000, when then-President Bill Clinton traveled to Pakistan on an unmarked civilian-style aircraft, while his official plane acted as a decoy.
During the more recent incident, journalists, who believed they were flying with Trump on the older Air Force One (used as bait), were instructed to keep the press cabin windows shuttered. Some White House staff also reportedly thought the president was on board.