President Donald Trump was secretly transported via an airport catering cart to a smaller military aircraft as he departed a NATO summit in Turkey on July 8, 2026, according to reporting by the Washington Post and the New York Times. The elaborate deception operation was prompted by a credible Iranian assassination threat against the president.
Trump boarded the older Air Force One in full view of television cameras and journalists at Ankara International Airport. Minutes later, he was covertly moved across the tarmac inside an airport catering truck—the kind typically used to load meals and supplies before flights—and transferred to an Air Force C-32A, a smaller military aircraft, according to a U.S. official familiar with the operation.
The deception was designed to conceal Trump’s actual location from journalists and some White House staff members who believed the president remained aboard the older Air Force One as it flew to RAF Mildenhall in Britain. The C-32A carrying Trump arrived at approximately 10:20 p.m. local time, with the older Air Force One and media arriving minutes later, according to the Washington Post.
Trump’s traveling press pool reported that he appeared at the stairs of the older Air Force One at 10:56 p.m., gave a peace sign to reporters, and did not approach them to speak. When asked later why journalists had to keep their window shades closed during the flight, Trump responded that they were “probably on a dangerous flight,” according to the Guardian.
The Trump administration had previously announced that the president would use the older Air Force One for the return journey “for old time’s sake,” rather than the newly renovated Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar, which had made the trip to Ankara for the NATO summit. That newer plane was sent ahead to RAF Mildenhall so U.S. service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.
A U.S. official told the Washington Post that officials viewed the Iranian threat as credible. The operation echoed a precedent from 2000, when then-President Bill Clinton flew into Pakistan on an unmarked executive jet while sending his formal Air Force One as a decoy, according to the Guardian. In both cases, the deception was intended to protect the sitting president from a perceived security threat.
When asked for comment on the revelation of the secret flight, White House Communications Director Steve Cheung stated that the Qatari-donated jet has been fitted with high-level security protocols. “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,” Cheung said, according to Reuters.
The NATO trip took place amid escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran. Trump had publicly warned Iran in mid-July that any assassination attempt against him would trigger a severe response, posting on Truth Social that he had 1,000 missiles “locked and loaded,” according to reporting from July 2026.
Sources
- Washington Post — reported the Iranian assassination threat prompted the secret flight operation and detailed the catering truck transport and aircraft switch
- Reuters — confirmed Trump boarded the old Air Force One publicly before being shuttled by catering truck to the C-32A, and provided the White House statement
- The Guardian — reported the deception operation details, the comparison to Clinton’s 2000 Pakistan flight, and Trump’s comments about the closed window shades
- New York Times — corroborated the operation with a U.S. official confirmation
