Air Force One as a Decoy.. Trump’s Secret Flight from Turkey

The latest:

A catering truck was used to move US President Donald Trump from Air Force One to a smaller C-32A military jet in Turkey last month, after intelligence warnings of a specific Iranian threat against him or his aircraft, The Washington Post reported. The legacy jumbo jet departed Ankara carrying White House journalists who believed the president was aboard. The White House has continued to say publicly that Trump flew home on Air Force One.

Details:

• The switch: The truck was parked beside Air Force One and raised to cabin level before driving Trump to the C-32A, according to The Washington Post. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the same aircraft separately using external stairs. The report did not say who authorised the plan or when it was set in motion.
• The threat: US officials cited by The Washington Post, The New York Times and CBS News described intelligence on a specific threat to Trump or his plane involving Iran. None of the reports specified the source of the intelligence, its confidence level, or whether the threat was assessed as imminent.
• The timeline: The C-32A landed in Britain at about 10.20pm local time, with the legacy Air Force One and the press pool arriving minutes later, per the report. Trump descended from the older aircraft at 10.56pm. It remained unclear how he was transferred back.
• What Trump said: Trump had publicly said he would leave Ankara aboard the legacy Air Force One for old times’ sake, after flying to Turkey on the newer jet. Journalists on the older aircraft were told to keep window shades closed; Trump later said they were “probably on a dangerous flight”.
• White House response: Communications director Steven Cheung said the aircraft carries high-level security protocols and that many enemies of America have their sights on the president, adding that every available tool is used against such threats. He did not confirm or deny the aircraft switch itself.
• The Qatari jet: The Boeing 747-8 that carried Trump to Turkey on July 7 was donated by Qatar and refitted by L3Harris Technologies at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. It lacks some defensive countermeasures fitted to legacy Air Force One jets. No figure for the final cost was disclosed.
• The criticism: US journalist Barbara Starr asked on X why the mission was flown at all if the threat was serious enough to remove the president, noting Iran would have believed he was aboard and that others remained at risk. The White House has not responded publicly to that question.
• The aircraft: The C-32A is a modified Boeing 757 cleared to carry the president or vice president, usually flying as Air Force Two. The report did not say how often it has been used in this role or whether similar switches occurred on other trips.
• Precedent: Deception tactics have been used before: in 2000, then-president Bill Clinton entered Pakistan on an unmarked executive jet while his formal Air Force One flew as a decoy. The report did not cite any comparable case in Trump’s own travel.

Background:

The security measures came amid escalating US-Iran tensions and intelligence about a specific threat targeting Trump or his aircraft. He was transferred to a C-32A, a military version of the Boeing 757 used to transport senior US officials. Washington has used similar tactics before, including a decoy operation during Bill Clinton’s visit to Pakistan in 2000.

Between the lines:

What’s next

Attention is likely to turn to Congress and the relevant agencies for a briefing on the nature of the Iranian threat, why the aircraft carrying journalists and staff was used as a decoy, and what measures were taken to protect those on board. The incident may also prompt the White House to review how it informs the presidential press corps after covert operations have ended, while renewing scrutiny of the modified Qatari aircraft’s readiness and whether it can provide the same level of protection as traditional presidential jets.