ANKARA — President Donald Trump was secretly moved from an older Air Force One aircraft to a smaller military jet using an airport catering truck during his departure from Turkey last month, in an operation intended to protect him from a potential Iranian threat, according to U.S. officials and reporting by The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Trump attended a NATO summit in Ankara before preparing to leave Turkey on July 8. Publicly, he appeared to board the older Boeing 747 used as Air Force One, while the newer Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar was sent ahead to Britain. The White House had said Trump planned to use the older aircraft, which he has described as the “former Air Force One.”
Behind the scenes, however, Trump was transferred from the older aircraft to a U.S. Air Force C-32A, a smaller Boeing 757-based executive transport, according to the Post, which cited a U.S. official familiar with the operation and corroborating material it reviewed. The transfer was carried out using a catering truck positioned at an aircraft door, allowing Trump to leave without being seen.
The operation was prompted by intelligence indicating a potential Iranian threat to Trump or his aircraft, the Post reported. The reports did not publicly establish the precise nature or credibility of the threat beyond officials' descriptions.
The older Air Force One then continued toward Britain with journalists and some White House personnel who were unaware that Trump was no longer aboard, according to the Post. Reporters traveling on the aircraft were instructed to keep their window shades closed.
Trump's actual flight on the C-32A arrived in Britain shortly before the older presidential aircraft. Trump was subsequently seen disembarking from the older plane, preserving the public appearance that he had traveled aboard it.
The White House has not publicly confirmed the specific details of the operation. Communications Director Steven Cheung has defended the security measures surrounding the president's travel and said the administration faces continuing threats.
The episode has renewed attention on the use of decoy aircraft and concealed presidential movements as security measures. Such tactics have been used by previous U.S. presidents, including President Bill Clinton, who secretly traveled to Pakistan in 2000.
The Pentagon has not publicly commented on the reported operation.
