Donald Trump insisted there were “no issues” after reports claimed he was quietly moved off the older Air Force One inside a catering truck as part of a covert security maneuver intended to thwart potential Iranian assassins.
According to The Washington Post, the President was returning from a NATO summit in Turkey when he was taken off the aircraft in Ankara and transferred onto a separate military plane headed for the UK. Video footage showed a catering truck being raised to the level of the jumbo jet for several minutes.
Trump had arrived in Turkey aboard the $400 million Qatari-donated 747-8. But as the summit wrapped up, he said publicly that he would switch to an older Air Force One model for “old times’ sake.”
After cameras captured him boarding the jumbo jet in Ankara, the reported behind-the-scenes switch took place, with Trump moved onto the military aircraft instead.
Shortly afterward, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth walked up the regular stairs and boarded the C-32A aircraft alone, a detail said to have been intended to make the decoy flight appear normal to anyone watching.
The elaborate operation reportedly fooled many of those traveling with the President, including journalists and some senior White House aides, who remained unaware they were on the “decoy” Air Force One flight.
But when Trump was later back aboard the main jet at a UK base at 11.31pm and surrounded by members of the press, he played down the idea that any danger had prompted the change.
Asked whether a security concern had forced the move to the older Air Force One model, the President gave a brief reply: “No issues.”
Insisting ‘no, no’ there were ‘no issues’ whatsoever, Trump claimed the elaborate maneuvering was simply a PR gesture to give service members a better view of the presidential jet.
Donald Trump had flown to Turkey on a Qatari–donated Air Force One jet before switching back to his older model for the journey home
The President boarding the old Air Force One plane set to transport him to a US military base in the UK as cameras rolled at an airport in Ankara
Journalists who got on the old Air Force One plane believed the President was also on board
‘We sent this one in so that the Air Force Base here was in the same exact line, so you saw, did you see the picture? … There are hundreds of people out there,’ Trump explained, referencing a picture that White House staff had shown earlier in the day from his Truth Social showing service members with the plane.
‘So they came a little bit earlier. We switched planes.’
When asked why reporters on the jet were asked to lower their window shades, Trump said it was ‘because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with’.
He followed up by saying he is ‘number one’ on Iran’s ‘list’.
‘But if I go, you go. Right? Perhaps someday you want to change professions,’ Trump told reporters.
The White House rushed to defend the controversial Qatari–donated jet after reports came about the plane’s lack of security, issuing a firm statement insisting the aircraft is fully ‘secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet requirements of the presidential mission.’
Trump conceded the luxury plane needs major defensive upgrades, confirming it has been temporarily grounded for about a month to be ‘maxed out’ with enhanced protection – though he refused to disclose the exact military specs.
The security nightmare erupted after The New York Times revealed the new Qatari jet was defenseless – lacking crucial antimissile countermeasures found on older models.
The reported subterfuge came as Trump was leaving the NATO summit in Turkey last month
Sources told The New York Times that Trump covertly entered the food cart that had been fitted to the belly of the plane amid threats from Iranian officials
A catering truck was visibly parked on the opposite side of Air Force One after Trump boarded the plane in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8
Exclusive images obtained by Our News Outlet show a massive banner of a caricature of Trump dominating Tajrish Square in the Iranian capital of Tehran, which was installed late last week
In retaliation, FBI agents swooped on Times reporters’ homes, slapping them with federal grand jury subpoenas just 24 hours after the story broke.
Trump is said to have been so terrified of being targeted by Iranian hit squads during the election campaign that he routinely used a decoy aircraft to dodge potential assassination attempts while traveling between events.
In September, a second attempt on Trump’s life was foiled when a gunman was spotted in the brush while Trump was on his Florida golf course.
The security scare prompted his team to adopt a different deception: traveling on a decoy aircraft dubbed Ghost Flight.
The plane was provided by his envoy Steve Witkoff, who was on the links with Trump that day.
Meantime, Tehran has been vocal in its threats and last week a massive, custom-made banner featuring a caricature of Trump centered under a large, blood–red painted ‘bullseye’ scope was seen dominating Tajrish Square in the capital, according to photos exclusively obtained by Our News Outlet.
Below the image of the targeted President, in large crimson English capital letters, is the chilling phrase: ‘There will be blood.’
Iranian media has also threatened to go after First Lady Melania Trump and Barron Trump, with a recent AI–generated video highlighting the locations the First Lady likes to shop and how would–be assassins could target her.
