Trump Secretly Flew Out of Turkey in Catering Truck Ruse Due to Iran Threat

President Donald Trump secretly departed Turkey last month on a military aircraft concealed from journalists and some White House staff, after a credible Iranian assassination threat triggered an extraordinary security operation that used Air Force One as a decoy, The Washington Post reported Monday.

An Elaborate Three-Plane Operation

Trump had flown to Ankara aboard the newly renovated Qatari-donated Air Force One for the NATO summit in early July — the plane’s first international journey. Before departing, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would take “the old baby blue” Air Force One “for old time’s sake” on the trip to RAF Mildenhall in England, explaining that it would allow US service members stationed there to tour the new aircraft.

But the Trump secret flight Turkey Iran assassination threat Air Force One operation was far more elaborate than publicly presented. According to the Post, which cited material it reviewed, a US official familiar with the operation, and a second person with knowledge of the president’s travel: after boarding the legacy Air Force One in Ankara, Trump was secretly transferred minutes later via an airport catering truck — the kind typically used to load meals and supplies — to a smaller Air Force C-32A aircraft. Trump then flew to Mildenhall on that third plane.

The C-32A arrived at Mildenhall at approximately 10:20 p.m. local time. The legacy Air Force One, with the traveling press pool aboard, landed minutes later. Reuters video captured Trump climbing the steps of the older jet in Ankara, and pool reports noted he deplaned at 10:56 p.m. local time, gave press a peace sign but did not approach them, greeted service members, and then walked to the new Qatari-donated plane. It was not immediately clear, the Post said, how Trump was transferred back to the older Air Force One without press detection.

Prompted by Credible Iranian Threat as War Escalated

The deception operation was triggered by what the Post described as a credible threat against Trump at a moment when US-Iran hostilities were intensifying in July. Turkey shares a border with Iran, making the security concerns at Ankara’s airport particularly acute during the NATO summit.

The incident came after months of elevated threats against US officials connected to the conflict. Trump himself has publicly acknowledged that enemies have “their sights on him.”

When the Post sought comment, the White House did not directly address the account of the secret operation or the catering truck transfer. Communications Director Steve Cheung provided a statement saying the Qatari-donated jet “has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.” Cheung added: “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.”

The US Secret Service declined to comment. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Questions About the Qatari Jet’s Security Return

The revelation adds a new dimension to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Qatari-gifted Air Force One, which has already drawn scrutiny for the speed of its upgrades, its cost, and questions about whether it possesses the same antimissile and advanced security capabilities as the legacy aircraft. The Justice Department subpoenaed five New York Times journalists last month after the paper reported that the Secret Service had urged Trump not to use the new plane for the Ankara trip due to security concerns — subpoenas that drew widespread condemnation from press freedom groups.

The fact that Trump ultimately flew out of Turkey on a third aircraft entirely — not the new plane and not the older jet the press corps was on — suggests those security concerns were taken seriously at the operational level, even as the White House publicly defended the new plane’s capabilities.