- President Trump confirmed that the Secret Service and the military instructed him to switch planes for a different flight, stating, "They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane — equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say."
- The swap was carried out unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff, who believed they were on the same plane as the president; reporters were instructed to lower their window shades.
- The move concealed Trump's location from the public and senior U.S. officials for hours, in an incident that could affect relations between the Trump White House and the press corps.
- Trump had already announced he would return on the former Air Force One rather than a newer Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar, whose security has been questioned and which Trump said would be maxed out.
- The security concern was heightened because Trump was leaving Turkey, a NATO member and U.S. ally sharing a border with Iran, amid the U.S. war with Iran.
- Trump, who has been the target of at least two assassination attempts, downplayed the threat, saying he was "not surprised" and "didn’t really ask too much about it," adding, "Any consequential president has a lot of threats. Non-consequential presidents don’t get threatened. And I think that I may be the most consequential president."
- Trump minimized the risk to those aboard the former Air Force One, saying he thought the smaller Air Force C-32A he traveled on was the plane "they would be more likely to go for."
Former President Donald Trump disclosed that the Secret Service recommended he switch planes due to an Iranian assassination threat, leading to a covert transfer to a smaller military aircraft. This operation, which took place while Trump was in Turkey, was executed without the knowledge of journalists and some White House staff.15
Trump stated, “I go by Secret Service and the military,” emphasizing his compliance with their directives. The Washington Post reported that Trump boarded Air Force One in view of cameras before being secretly shuttled to the smaller aircraft via an airport catering truck, flying separately from the press corps and senior officials.3
The swap concealed Trump’s location from the public and senior U.S. officials for hours, raising concerns about the relationship between the Trump White House and the press. This incident underscored the serious security concerns U.S. officials had regarding Trump’s safety amid the ongoing U.S. war with Iran. Turkey, a NATO ally, shares a border with Iran, heightening the risks.2
Despite the threat, Trump downplayed the situation, stating he was “not surprised” and “didn’t really ask too much about it.” He remarked, “Any consequential president has a lot of threats. Non-consequential presidents don’t get threatened. And I think that I may be the most consequential president.”
Trump also noted that he believed the smaller Air Force C-32A he traveled on was the plane “they would be more likely to go for.”8
“The plane switch was kept secret from journalists and some White House staff, who were told to lower window shades, and it highlighted security concerns about leaving Turkey amid the U.S. war with Iran. Trump downplayed the threat, saying he was 'not surprised' and that 'any consequential president has a lot of threats.'”
