President Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey after attending a NATO summit in July, boarding a smaller military aircraft via an airport catering truck to evade a credible Iranian assassination threat, according to reporting from the Washington Post, Reuters, and the New York Times published on August 10-11.
After the two-day NATO summit in Ankara concluded on July 8, Trump publicly boarded an older Air Force One aircraft in front of cameras, signaling his departure for Britain. Within moments of boarding, however, he left the plane covertly via an airport catering truck and transferred to a C-32A military jet, according to Reuters and the Washington Post. The older Air Force One then served as a decoy, flying to RAF Mildenhall in Britain with journalists and some White House staff aboard who believed the president was on the aircraft.
The extraordinary operation was triggered by what officials assessed as a credible threat from Iran and allied proxy forces to fire a missile at Air Force One, Reuters reported. Trump had arrived in Turkey aboard a newly renovated Boeing 747 gifted to the United States by Qatar, marking the jet’s first international trip as Air Force One. Before departing Ankara, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would use the older plane “for old time’s sake,” a statement that later prompted questions about the security of the newer aircraft.
The deception extended to the press pool aboard the decoy Air Force One. Reporters were instructed to keep their window shades closed during the flight. When later asked by journalists why the shades had to remain shut, Trump said it was because they were “probably on a dangerous flight,” adding “But if I go, you go. Right?” according to Reuters.
The C-32A carrying Trump landed at RAF Mildenhall around 10:20 p.m., several hours before the decoy Air Force One arrived. Trump later appeared to disembark from the older aircraft at 10:56 p.m., giving the press a peace sign before greeting service members and boarding the new Qatar-donated plane.
A similar operation occurred in 2000 when President Bill Clinton used an unmarked executive jet to fly into Pakistan while sending his formal Air Force One as a decoy, Reuters reported. However, the 2026 operation was notably elaborate, involving the catering truck transfer and an extended deception of the traveling press and staff.
White House Communications Director Steve Cheung issued a statement saying 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 plane switch occurred amid escalating hostilities between the United States and Iran. Trump had attended the NATO summit as tensions with Iran intensified over its nuclear program and regional activities. Israel had recently alerted the U.S. to what it described as a fresh Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, according to earlier reporting from the Wall Street Journal in July.
Sources
- Reuters — Trump’s secret flight from Turkey via catering truck, details of the C-32A transfer, and comparison to the Clinton 2000 operation
- Washington Post — Initial reporting of the Iranian assassination threat, the elaborate deception operation, and the role of the decoy Air Force One
- New York Times — Confirmation of the plane switch and the credible Iranian threat
- NATO — Details of the 2026 Ankara NATO summit held July 7-8
- BBC, Guardian, Al Jazeera, USA Today, The Hill, NBC News, PBS, CBS News — Corroborating coverage of the incident
