WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that U.S. security officials secretly moved him to a different aircraft while he was leaving Turkey last month because of a security threat, saying he followed the instructions of the Secret Service and military officials.
“I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane,” Trump told reporters. He said the aircraft used as a decoy may actually have faced greater danger because attackers would have been more likely to target it.
The operation occurred on July 8 after Trump attended a NATO summit in Ankara. The Washington Post reported that Trump initially boarded the older Air Force One in view of cameras but was then secretly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A military aircraft using an airport catering vehicle. The older presidential aircraft subsequently flew to Britain with journalists and some White House staff aboard, unaware that Trump was no longer on it.
The Post reported that the operation was prompted by what a U.S. official described as a credible Iranian threat against Trump. Earlier reporting by CBS News had also cited U.S. officials as saying intelligence indicated a credible threat involving a missile attack against the president's aircraft.
Trump had traveled to Turkey aboard a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar for use as the next Air Force One. He had previously said he would leave Turkey aboard the older presidential aircraft, describing the decision publicly as being “for old time’s sake.” The newer aircraft has faced scrutiny over whether it possesses the same defensive capabilities as the legacy presidential jets.
White House communications director Steven Cheung said the new Air Force One was a state-of-the-art aircraft equipped with security measures designed to protect the president and his staff. The Air Force separately said the aircraft was safe, secure and equipped with technologies required for the presidential mission.
The disclosure has prompted questions in Congress about how the operation was conducted and why lawmakers were not informed. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for an immediate briefing, saying Congress had learned of the threat through news reports rather than from the administration.
Trump said he routinely faces threats and defended the decision to follow security officials' instructions. The White House has not announced further details about the specific intelligence behind the operation or whether any attack was attempted.
