WASHINGTON, U.S.- U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that he was secretly moved from Air Force One to a smaller military aircraft after leaving the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, last month, following a possible threat that US officials believed could endanger the presidential flight.
Trump said Tuesday that the decision was made by the Secret Service and the US military, and that he followed their instructions without seeking extensive details about the threat.
“I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane,” Trump told reporters. “I just have to do what they say.”
The disclosure confirms reports that emerged this week describing an elaborate security operation in which Trump appeared to board Air Force One in full view of television cameras before secretly leaving the aircraft and being transferred to another plane.
Secret transfer at Ankara airport
Trump had attended the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7 and 8. He had arrived in a newer Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by Qatar but had said he would depart on the older presidential aircraft “for old time’s sake.”
On July 8, cameras recorded Trump apparently boarding Air Force One at Ankara airport.
According to reports, however, the president was subsequently moved from the aircraft using a catering truck positioned alongside the plane. He was then transported across the airport and secretly transferred to a C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 frequently used by the US vice-president and senior government officials.
The operation was designed to make it appear that Trump remained aboard Air Force One.
The aircraft carrying journalists and some White House personnel continued using the presidential call sign AF1, while Trump’s actual flight reportedly operated under the call sign Reach 18.
Trump later travelled to Britain before returning to the United States, where he was again seen emerging from the older Air Force One.
Possible Iranian missile threat
US officials told CBS News that American authorities had detected what they regarded as a credible Iranian threat involving a possible missile attack against the presidential aircraft. The Washington Post and other outlets have reported additional intelligence indicating concern about a potential attack near the summit.
One reported intelligence assessment involved a person near the NATO summit who was allegedly seen with a shoulder-fired missile.
The exact nature of the threat has not been publicly established, and there has been no public confirmation that an attack was actually imminent.
Trump said he was not particularly concerned about the details.
“I guess there was a threat out there,” he said Tuesday. “I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats.”
He added: “I have a lot of threats that you don’t know about.”
Trump had previously described himself as Iran’s “number one target” during the NATO summit.
Journalists kept in the dark
The security operation also meant that journalists travelling with Trump did not know that he had left the aircraft.
According to details reported by the White House Correspondents’ Association, members of the press were instructed to keep the window shades of Air Force One closed.
One photographer reportedly briefly opened a shade before being told to close it again.
The presence of catering trucks around the aircraft and the positioning of the media vehicles also helped conceal the president’s movements.
Members of Trump’s Cabinet were also reportedly aboard the decoy aircraft, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to reporting cited by the New York Times.
Trump says alternative plane may have been safer
The unusual operation has raised questions about whether passengers who remained aboard the original Air Force One were placed at greater risk.
Trump rejected that suggestion, arguing that the aircraft he actually used could have been more likely to attract an attack because an adversary would expect the president to be aboard it.
“That would be the plane, I think, that they would be more likely to go for,” Trump said.
The episode illustrates the extent to which presidential security measures can involve deception, including misleading even members of the travelling press corps.
Such tactics are not unprecedented in presidential travel, with previous administrations using decoy movements and secrecy to conceal presidential locations for security reasons.
Questions remain over the threat
Although Trump has now confirmed the plane switch, the full intelligence picture behind the decision remains classified.
It is also unclear whether the reported Iranian threat involved a specific planned attack, a broader security assessment or intelligence concerning an individual near the summit.
The White House and security agencies have not publicly released detailed evidence about the alleged threat.
The operation nevertheless underscores the heightened security environment surrounding Trump’s travel amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
