President Donald Trump secretly left Turkey aboard a smaller U.S. military aircraft after a NATO summit in July, while Air Force One was used to make it appear he was traveling on the presidential plane. According to a Washington Post report cited by The Associated Press, the unusual security operation was prompted by concerns about a possible Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The Associated Press said it had not independently confirmed the original report.
A Carefully Planned Exit From Turkey
Trump had traveled to Ankara for a NATO summit amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. Before leaving Turkey, he publicly boarded an older Air Force One aircraft in view of cameras.
But according to the report, Trump did not remain aboard the aircraft.
Instead, he and several aides were moved through an airport catering truck before boarding a smaller Air Force C-32A aircraft. That plane then carried Trump from Turkey to RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Air Force One departed with journalists, White House personnel and other travelers who believed the president was still aboard.
The operation effectively turned Air Force One into a decoy while Trump quietly traveled on a separate aircraft.
Iran Threat Raised Serious Security Concerns
The Washington Post reported that the unusual security measures were connected to a credible Iranian threat against Trump. At the time of the NATO summit, tensions were especially high as the U.S. military was conducting strikes against Iran following attacks on commercial shipping in the region.
Intelligence officials had reportedly raised concerns about a possible attack targeting Trump or his aircraft. Those concerns had already led officials to take additional precautions surrounding presidential travel.
The White House did not directly answer questions about the full operation. However, communications director Steven Cheung said the administration uses available security measures to respond to threats against the president.
Trump Reappeared Without Revealing the Switch
After reaching RAF Mildenhall, Trump apparently returned to Air Force One without the traveling press realizing that he had made the earlier journey aboard another aircraft.
News photographers later captured Trump getting off the presidential plane in Britain. He subsequently boarded the newer aircraft that had been provided by Qatar and continued toward Washington.
When reporters asked Trump during the trip whether Iran posed a credible threat to Air Force One, he played down the danger and told those traveling with him, “But if I go, you go.”
Trump later confirmed that security officials had wanted him to use a different aircraft because of a threat, while saying the incident had not frightened him.
Questions Grow Over an Extraordinary Security Move
The secrecy surrounding the operation has raised questions about both presidential security and the decision to keep journalists traveling with the White House unaware of Trump’s actual location.
Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service special agent, told AP that the move was unusual and could have reflected either specific intelligence or heightened caution because of instability in the region.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for Congress to receive a briefing on the incident. Speaking to CNN, he described the situation as “unprecedented” and “downright scary.”
Secret presidential travel itself is not new. Presidents have previously made covert journeys to conflict zones when revealing their movements could create security risks. What made the Turkey operation especially unusual was the apparent effort to create the impression that Trump remained aboard Air Force One while he was actually traveling separately.
A New Look at the Risks Facing Presidential Travel
The reported operation offers a rare glimpse at the security measures that can surround presidential travel during periods of international conflict. What appeared publicly to be a routine departure from the NATO summit was reportedly a carefully coordinated effort designed to conceal Trump’s actual movements.
The incident also highlights how seriously U.S. officials were treating possible threats from Iran. Although many details remain unclear, Trump’s later confirmation that security officials moved him to another aircraft supports the central account that his departure from Turkey was far more complicated than it initially appeared.
