- Intelligence officials received the warning from Israel but did not regard it as “compelling”, expressing skepticism when they passed the information to Trump officials preparing for his departure from the NATO summit in Ankara.
- Trump was secretly conveyed to a third plane, an Air Force C-32A, inside a hydraulic catering truck, while the primary plane stopped at RAF Mildenhall for refuelling.
- An unnamed official explained the decision to proceed despite doubts: “The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they” not taking any chances. They did what they had to do.
- Trump said of the manoeuvre: “It’s really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do. I do what they say.”
- A former official noted the warning fit into “a broader pattern of Israeli intelligence reporting” that some officials see as designed to shape presidential decision-making.
- The president has faced three domestic assassination attempts in recent years, plus overseas threats from Iran since the killing of Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, and the Operation Epic Fury airstrikes in late February this year increased animosity.
- Former Secret Service agent Bobby McDonald praised the decoy plan as creative and nimble, saying: “You’ve got to be creative. You’ve got to be nimble. You’ve got to make things happen.”
The CIA had low confidence in a reported assassination threat against former President Trump, yet proceeded with a secretive Air Force One swap. Intelligence officials deemed the warning not compelling and expressed skepticism when relaying it to Trump’s team before his departure from Ankara.
Trump was covertly transported in a hydraulic catering truck to a C-32A during a refueling stop at RAF Mildenhall, while officials and journalists believed he was still aboard Air Force One. Upon landing, photographers captured Trump disembarking the primary presidential plane, indicating he had re-boarded Air Force One away from reporters' view.234
An unnamed official explained the decision to proceed despite doubts, stating, “The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they’re not taking any chances. They did what they had to do.” A former official noted that the warning fit into a “broader pattern of Israeli intelligence reporting” aimed at influencing presidential decision-making.1
Trump acknowledged the dramatic maneuver, saying, “It’s really just up to Secret Service. I just follow what they like to do.” He has faced three domestic assassination attempts in recent years and ongoing threats from Iran since ordering the killing of Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.91011
The situation underscores the heightened security measures surrounding Trump, especially following the Operation Epic Fury airstrikes that escalated tensions with Iran.
“The Secret Service conveyed Trump to a C-32A inside a hydraulic catering truck while officials and journalists flew on Air Force One, unaware. An unnamed official cited three near misses with the president, saying 'they're not taking any chances.'”
The Independent
