Trump Secretly Switched Planes in Turkey Amid Iran Threat

President Trump slipped away from Air Force One in Turkey last month and boarded a different aircraft with the help of an airport catering truck, after U.S. intelligence detected a credible plot to fire a missile at the plane he was on, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The threat came from Iran and its allied proxies as the president prepared to leave Ankara at the end of the NATO summit, CBS News reported. Mr. Trump had publicly acknowledged the danger during the summit, describing himself as Iran's "number one target." The Washington Post was first to report the plane switch.

Hours before the maneuver, on July 8, Mr. Trump told reporters he would leave Ankara aboard the older Air Force One rather than the newer Qatari-donated jet he had flown in on. He said the change was "for old time's sake," that U.S. forces at a refueling stop in the United Kingdom could inspect the new plane, and that the Secret Service had recommended the older aircraft for security reasons.

Video recorded by the press showed the president climbing the stairs of the older jet and disappearing inside, with a catering truck visible on the far side of the aircraft. Minutes later, the truck pulled away and drove to another U.S. government plane, which the Post reported was an Air Force C-32A.

Mr. Trump flew from Ankara to the refueling stop in the United Kingdom on that separate aircraft. Reporters and members of his staff traveled the same route aboard Air Force One, believing the president was with them. While in Ankara, journalists were told to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed. Asked later why, Mr. Trump said they were "probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with."

In the United Kingdom, the president moved to the newer Air Force One, donated by Qatar last year and retrofitted by the U.S. Air Force. The administration has never publicly disclosed that the press and some staff flew on a decoy plane.

Several administration officials expressed frustration Monday night that highly classified tactics had become public, saying it could limit future protective operations. White House communications director Steven Cheung did not address the switch directly, saying the new plane "has been fitted with high-level security protocols" and that "there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him."