U.S. President Donald Trump undertook a covert military journey from Turkey recently due to an Iranian threat, involving a transfer between aircraft using a catering truck. Contrary to official statements that he was flying on Air Force One from Turkey to Britain after attending a NATO summit, Trump actually switched planes secretly before departing Turkey. The Washington Post reported this information from undisclosed sources.
Trump acknowledged the incident, stating that the Secret Service and military advised him to switch planes due to a perceived threat, which he claimed did not intimidate him. Despite the change, Trump emphasized that he was not overly concerned about the situation and downplayed the risk to those who remained on the original aircraft, including White House personnel, security teams, and journalists.
During a press briefing following his return from Ohio, Trump revealed that he had limited involvement in the decision to switch planes and did not probe deeply into the specifics of the threat. He admitted to receiving numerous threats regularly and mentioned that he was simply following security protocols in this instance.
The move to switch planes raised security concerns regarding the aircraft Trump had initially used, which was a newly refurbished jet donated by Qatar for his trip to the NATO summit in Ankara. Trump unexpectedly opted to travel back on an older Air Force One, citing nostalgic reasons, while the new plane remained at the base in Britain for service members to tour.
Journalists who believed they were accompanying Trump on the older Air Force One, which was utilized as a diversion, were instructed to keep their window shades closed during the flight. The Washington Post also noted that some White House staff were under the impression that Trump was on the decoy aircraft.
In response to questions about the closed window shades, Trump quipped that it was likely due to the flight being deemed risky. He reassured the reporters, saying, “But if I go, you go. Right?”
