U.S. President Donald Trump undertook a covert military flight from Turkey last month due to an Iranian threat, involving a maneuver where he transferred between aircraft using a catering truck. Initially, the White House stated that Trump was flying on Air Force One from Turkey to Britain after attending a NATO summit. However, right after boarding Air Force One, he secretly left via the catering truck and switched to another aircraft for the journey to Britain, as reported by the Washington Post, citing anonymous sources.
Trump acknowledged the operation, mentioning that the Secret Service and military recommended a switch to a different plane due to a perceived threat, which he claimed did not intimidate him. He minimized the risk to the individuals remaining on the original plane, including White House officials, security personnel, support staff, and journalists. Trump explained to the press upon his return from an event in Ohio that he was directed to take a different plane and didn’t delve deeply into the specifics of the threat, stating that he receives numerous threats regularly.
The President had initially flown to Ankara for the NATO summit on a newly renovated jet donated by Qatar. Surprisingly, he announced a switch to an older Air Force One for the departure, raising concerns about the security of the newer aircraft. This decision came amidst heightened tensions with Iran, which shares a border with Turkey. Before leaving Ankara, Trump informed on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he would opt for the older Air Force One to RAF Mildenhall in Britain for nostalgic reasons, while the new plane made a stop at the same base for U.S. service members to tour it.
Journalists traveling with Trump on the older Air Force One, which acted as a decoy, were instructed to keep their window shades closed in the press cabin. According to reports, some White House staff also believed the President was on the older aircraft. When questioned by reporters about the need to keep the shades shut during the flight, Trump suggested it was due to the perceived danger of the flight and asserted that if he was on board, they were too.