US President Donald Trump was secretly moved from an aircraft visible to reporters to a smaller military plane using an airport catering truck in a covert security operation aimed at concealing his location from a potential Iranian attack, according to US media reports.
The clandestine operation took place last month as Trump travelled from Ankara, Turkey, to the United Kingdom following a NATO summit. Details of the extraordinary security measure were first reported by The Washington Post.
According to a US official cited by the newspaper, Trump initially boarded an older version of Air Force One in full view of television cameras. Minutes later, however, he was secretly transferred to a smaller aircraft through an airport catering vehicle normally used to load food and other supplies onto planes.
The deception was reportedly prompted by an intelligence assessment that Iran posed a credible and immediate threat to the aircraft Trump was originally scheduled to use.
Officials told CBS News that US authorities had detected a credible Iranian threat to launch a missile at the president’s intended aircraft. The threat was considered extremely serious and potentially involved the use of shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
The development came as the United States was intensifying military strikes against Iran, heightening concerns over the president’s safety during his international travel.
The decision to change aircraft was described by authorities as a “snap decision”.
Trump and other administration officials had publicly indicated that the president would leave Turkey on July 8 aboard one of the older Air Force One aircraft.
He had arrived aboard a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, but White House officials had previously raised concerns about the Qatari aircraft’s security capabilities. The plane is expected to undergo additional modifications before being fully incorporated into presidential service.
Instead, Trump was transferred to a C-32A military aircraft, a modified Boeing 757 commonly used to transport the vice-president, according to a US official familiar with the operation who spoke to The New York Times.
The switch was carried out without informing reporters travelling on the original Air Force One. The journalists were therefore unknowingly used as part of the deception, while some White House personnel were also reportedly unaware that the president had changed aircraft.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was said to be the only senior official to accompany Trump during the transfer.
The secrecy continued after Trump reached the United Kingdom. Once there, he was discreetly transferred back to the older Air Force One aircraft. He later emerged in front of waiting reporters and walked across the tarmac to the Qatari-donated aircraft, giving the appearance that he had travelled to Britain aboard the plane.
Trump subsequently flew the Qatari aircraft from the UK to Washington. NBC News reported that White House communications director Steven Cheung did not dispute The Washington Post’s account. The newspaper said its report was based on material it had reviewed, as well as information from a US official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of Trump’s travel arrangements.
The episode highlights the extraordinary security measures surrounding the US president as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated, and shows the lengths to which authorities were prepared to go to prevent a potential adversary from tracking Trump’s movements.
