Trump Secretly Switched Aircraft in Turkey Amid Iranian Assassination Threat, Washington Post Reports

President Donald Trump departed last month’s NATO summit in Ankara using a covert aircraft swap to evade an alleged Iranian assassination plot, The Washington Post reported Monday. The operation involved Trump boarding Air Force One in full public view before being discreetly transferred to a smaller C-32A military jet minutes later via an airport catering truck, while journalists and staff members believed they were traveling with him on the larger aircraft.

According to the Post’s reporting, which cited U.S. officials and individuals with knowledge of the president’s travel, Trump was secretly moved to the alternative plane after initial boarding procedures. He then flew to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom on the smaller aircraft while the decoy Air Force One proceeded separately, creating the appearance that the president remained aboard the larger plane that journalists had boarded.

Trump initially explained that he would fly home on an older-model Air Force One while a newly acquired Qatari-gifted aircraft was sent ahead to allow U.S. troops stationed in England to inspect the upgraded plane. Intelligence officials had previously raised concerns about potential threats to the president and his aircraft, prompting security precautions that included avoiding use of the new Qatar-provided jet for the initial leg of his journey from Turkey.

The White House communications director Steven Cheung declined to address specific details of the operation but stated that security officials employ “every tool at our disposal to address those threats” against the president. The Secret Service and Air Force both declined further comment on the incident.

The elaborate maneuver reflects heightened concerns among U.S. security officials regarding Iranian threats during ongoing regional tensions. The military had conducted substantial strikes against Iran while Trump was in Turkey in retaliation for Iranian attacks on merchant shipping, intensifying the threat environment during his departure.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called Monday for a congressional investigation, describing the incident as “unprecedented and surreal.” Former Secret Service special agent Paul Eckloff characterized the unusual procedure as either reflecting specific actionable intelligence or representing an abundance of caution given regional volatility.

When asked directly by reporters aboard the new Air Force One during his flight to Washington whether credible Iranian threats against the aircraft existed, Trump responded that he maintains constant threats and referred to himself as being “number one on their list.” He added cryptically that if he were targeted, the journalists traveling with him would face the same danger.