President Donald Trump’s team reportedly pulled off an elaborate ruse to secretly fly him from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month, following a credible Iranian assassination threat. According to a report by the Washington Post, the operation involved hiding Trump’s movements with a catering truck at an airport in Ankara and flying him on a military aircraft instead of the expected Air Force One.
As Trump left a NATO summit in Turkey, the White House publicly stated he was aboard Air Force One, an older baby blue Boeing 747. However, after appearing to board that plane in front of cameras, Trump was actually shuttled in a catering truck to a smaller Air Force C-32A jet, which then took him to the United Kingdom. The decoy Air Force One carried members of the press and some White House staff, who were unaware of the switch and believed Trump was still with them. Reporters were told to keep their window shades closed during the flight.
The operation was prompted by intelligence concerns over an Iranian plot targeting the president. Trump had declared himself “number one on the kill list for Iran” and that the new Qatari-gifted plane used for the NATO trip had raised additional security questions. The operation drew comparisons to similar precautions taken for other presidents during times of heightened threats.
When the C-32A carrying Trump landed in Britain at around 10:20 p.m. local time, the decoy Air Force One with the press arrived minutes later. Trump was seen leaving the older Air Force One and greeted service members before walking to the new Qatari-gifted plane. The White House stated that the jet has been fitted with high-level security measures for Trump’s safety.
The U.S. Secret Service declined to comment, while the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for information. Some lawmakers, including Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, are calling for a congressional investigation into the incident, describing the episode as “unprecedented” and “surreal.”
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