Washington Post: Iranian threat behind Trump's plane change in Turkey

The Washington Post reported on Monday that President Donald Trump took a secret military flight out of Turkey last month due to an Iranian threat, while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One.

Trump had initially boarded the recently upgraded Air Force One aircraft, provided by Qatar, en route to Ankara for the NATO summit. However, he unexpectedly switched to an older Air Force One aircraft upon leaving the country—a move that raised questions about the safety of the new plane.

The NATO summit trip was the new plane’s first international journey, occurring amid escalating hostilities with Iran, which shares a border with Turkey.

The newspaper reported, citing a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person aware of the president’s travel, that after Trump boarded the older Air Force One in front of cameras in Ankara, he was secretly transported via a supply truck at the airport to a smaller aircraft—a C-32A operated by the U.S. Air Force.

The report added that this aircraft flew to Britain and arrived around 10:20 p.m., followed minutes later by Air Force One and the media.

At the time, Trump said on Truth Social that he would use the older, light blue presidential aircraft “for old times’ sake” to travel from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain, while the new plane remained at the same base so American military personnel there could inspect it.

When asked to comment on the revelation that Trump had taken a secret flight on a third aircraft, the White House issued a statement from communications director Steve Chang, saying the Qatar-provided plane is equipped with high-level security protocols ensuring the president’s and staff’s safety.

Chang said, “As the president recently stated, there are numerous enemies of America targeting him, and we use every available means to counter those threats.” This was the same statement previously provided to The Washington Post.