WASHINGTON, Aug 11 — US President Donald Trump departed Turkey on a secret military flight last month while the White House said he was flying aboard Air Force One, an extraordinary move prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, the Washington Post reported today.
Trump had taken the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet to Ankara for the NATO summit but unexpectedly used an older Air Force One when departing the country, a move that prompted questions about the newer plane's security.
The NATO trip was the first international journey for the new plane, whose rapid upgrades had raised questions over its cost and security. The trip also took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, which borders Turkey.
Before departing Ankara, Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older, baby-blue Air Force One plane "for old time's sake" to RAF Mildenhall in Britain, while the new plane stopped at the same base so US service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.
After Trump boarded the older Air Force One in front of cameras in Ankara, he was secretly shuttled by an airport catering truck to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, the Post reported, citing a US official familiar with the operation and corroborating material it reviewed.
The deception operation was triggered by a credible threat to Trump, the Post reported. A similar operation took place in 2000, when President Bill Clinton used an unmarked executive jet to fly into Pakistan while sending his official Air Force One as a decoy.
On this occasion, journalists who thought they were travelling with Trump on the older Air Force One, which was effectively being used as a decoy, reported being advised to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed.
The Post said that aside from reporters, some White House staff also believed the president was on board.
When later asked by reporters why they had to keep their shades shut during the flight, Trump said it was because they were "probably on a dangerous flight".
He went on to say: "But if I go, you go. Right?"
Decoy plane
The C-32A carrying Trump flew to Britain, arriving at around 10.20 pm, with the older Air Force One carrying the media arriving minutes later, The Post reported.
It was unclear, the newspaper said, how Trump was moved from the C-32A back to the older Air Force One.
Trump's travelling press pool reported that he descended the stairs of the older Air Force One at 10.56 pm local time. He flashed a peace sign to the press but did not walk over to speak to reporters.
He then spent some time greeting service members before walking to the new, Qatari-donated plane.
Asked for comment on the revelation of a secret flight aboard a third aircraft, the White House provided a statement from communications director Steve Cheung saying the Qatari-donated jet had been fitted with high-level security protocols to ensure the safety of the president and his staff.
"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.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
