US President Donald Trump departed Turkey last month on a secret military flight amid concerns over an Iranian assassination threat, according to reports by the Washington Post and the New York Times.

The operation occurred while Trump was attending a NATO summit in Ankara. Although the White House announced he was flying aboard Air Force One, Trump initially boarded the older Air Force One jumbo jet in front of cameras. Minutes later, he was covertly transported via an airport catering truck—typically used for loading meals and supplies—to a smaller Air Force C-32A plane, a US official familiar with the operation told the Washington Post.

An official also confirmed the operation to the New York Times. Trump had previously announced on his Truth Social account that he would use the “former Air Force One,” an older baby blue plane, for the flight to RAF Mildenhall in Britain, while the new Boeing 747-8, donated by Qatar, stopped at the same base for US service members to tour.

Journalists traveling with Trump on the older Air Force One, which served as a decoy, were reportedly advised to keep their window shades closed. Some White House staff also believed the president was on board the older plane.

The C-32A carrying Trump arrived in Britain around 10:20 pm local time, with the older Air Force One and media arriving minutes later. Trump’s traveling press pool reported he descended the stairs of the older Air Force One at 10:56 pm local time.

This secretive departure was prompted by a credible threat from Iran, which shares a border with Turkey, escalating concerns about the security of the newly renovated Qatari-donated Air Force One, which was making its first international trip.

A similar deception took place in 2000 when President Bill Clinton used an unmarked executive jet to fly into Pakistan while sending the formal Air Force One as a decoy.

As Trump said recently, “there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”

Sources