💛 A quick favor, if you've got a second.
We're really happy that you chose to read one of our stories and sincerely hope you'll stick around to read more. We took our paywall down — for now — but that won't last forever, and when the gate goes back up, we'd love for you to already be on the inside.
It's free. So please enter your email here and don't forget to like and follow us on all of your favorite Social Media platforms!
President Donald Trump executed an elaborate escape from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey in July by boarding a smaller military aircraft via a catering truck while using an older Air Force One jet as a decoy, according to reporting by The Washington Post. The covert operation was undertaken after U.S. intelligence officials determined that Iran posed a specific and credible threat to the president’s travel plans in response to American military strikes against Iranian targets earlier that summer.
Trump arrived at the Turkish capital on July 8 aboard a newly acquired Boeing 747-8 aircraft that had been donated by Qatar. To counter the Iranian threat, security officials devised a deception strategy on the Ankara airport tarmac in which Trump visibly ascended the stairs of the legacy blue-and-white Air Force One, waved to assembled cameras, and appeared to board the aircraft.
Minutes after entering the cabin, Trump and a small contingent of aides were transferred through an airport catering truck that had been positioned against an exit door on the far side of the plane. The truck was then lowered to ground level and transported across the tarmac to an Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, which served as Trump’s actual departure aircraft.
Meanwhile, media representatives and White House staff boarded the legacy 747, believing Trump was aboard. The decoy jet took off with reporters ordered to close their window shades, and initial radar tracked the aircraft without a call sign before it assumed the AF1 designation mid-flight, despite Trump’s absence.
Trump flew secretly aboard the smaller C-32A to RAF Mildenhall in England, landing shortly before the decoy aircraft arrived. At approximately 10:56 p.m., he appeared before television cameras and descended the legacy Air Force One’s external stairs, later boarding the new Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 for the return flight to Washington at 11:01 p.m.
When reporters questioned Trump about the closed window shades in Turkey, he attributed the security measure to threats posed by adversaries and stated he ranks as Iran’s “Number One” target. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung emphasized the security protocols installed on the new Air Force One, noting that multiple adversaries threaten the president and that the administration deploys all available tools to address such dangers.
More Stories
Colombian Immigrants in Queens Struggle to Reach Family After Earthquake Devastates Homeland
Trump Threatens FIFA With Consequences if Infantino Is Removed From Leadership
Mangione Due in Court as State Murder Trial Approaches Jury Selection Phase