Donald Trump Secretly Switched Planes After NATO Summit In Turkiye Over Iran Threat: Report

· Free Press Journal

US President Donald Trump secretly left last month's NATO summit in Ankara, Turkiye, aboard an alternate military aircraft while the White House created the impression that he was travelling on Air Force One, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

According to the report, the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. Journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were travelling on the same aircraft as the President as he began his return journey to Washington from the annual gathering of NATO leaders.

Visit umafrika.club for more information.

The Washington Post based its report on material it reviewed, a US official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of Trump's travel. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report.

Trump switched to smaller military aircraft

Trump had travelled to the summit aboard a new red, white and navy blue jet gifted by Qatar and retrofitted for presidential use. Before leaving Turkiye, however, he said he would travel part of the way home aboard an older, baby blue Air Force One aircraft.

Trump said at the time that the new luxury aircraft would be flown out before his departure from Ankara so that US troops stationed in eastern England could see the new Air Force One.

In Ankara, Trump boarded the older Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras before it was due to fly to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

However, The Washington Post reported that minutes after boarding the aircraft, Trump was secretly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A using an airport catering truck normally used to load meals and supplies. He then flew to Mildenhall aboard the smaller aircraft.

Australia Census Adds Optional Questions On Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation For First Time

White House cites threats against Trump

The White House did not directly respond to questions about the reported secret operation involving the third aircraft or the effort to make it appear that Trump was aboard the older Air Force One flying to Mildenhall.

“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,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.

The US Secret Service declined to comment, while the Air Force, which maintains the executive travel aircraft fleet, referred questions to the White House.

Security concerns over Qatar-gifted aircraft

Trump's departure came as the US military carried out a series of major strikes in Iran in retaliation for attacks on merchant shipping in the region while the President was in Turkiye.

The New York Times and CBS News reported last month that intelligence officials had raised concerns about a possible attack on Trump or his aircraft. The concerns reportedly prompted additional security measures and a decision not to use the newly inaugurated Qatar-gifted aircraft for the first leg of his journey home from Ankara.

The aircraft swap raised questions about the security of the Qatar-provided jet. Trump said after the trip last month that it would receive additional upgrades.

Cheung on Monday maintained that the new Qatar-gifted plane was “a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff.”

The Washington Post's report that Trump was covertly moved to a third aircraft highlights the extent of security officials' concerns about the threat against him amid the ongoing war with Iran.

Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service special agent, said such an unusual measure could have been prompted either by actionable intelligence or an abundance of caution because of volatility in the region amid the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

“I would not say unprecedented, but it is an unusual occurrence,” Eckloff told The Associated Press.

Also Watch:

Catering truck used to conceal Trump's transfer

According to The Washington Post, Trump and several aides boarded an airport catering truck to leave the older Air Force One without being seen by people who were not involved in the operation.

The truck was raised to the aircraft using hydraulics and positioned at a door on the opposite side from the Air Force One entrance.

A small group of reporters who believed they were travelling with Trump were instructed to lower their window shades before takeoff.

After reaching Mildenhall, news photographers captured Trump leaving the presidential aircraft, suggesting that he had reboarded Air Force One without being seen by the journalists who believed they had been travelling with him.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a congressional investigation.

“It is unprecedented and it is surreal,” Blumenthal said on CNN on Monday, describing the incident as “downright scary.”

Trump acknowledges continuing threat

Following his brief visit to the Mildenhall base, Trump boarded the new Air Force One for the remainder of his journey to Washington.

During an interaction with reporters aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked whether Iran posed any credible threat to Air Force One.

“Well, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list before you,” Trump said.

Addressing the travelling reporters, he added, “But if I go, you go.”

Read full story at source