Trump Dodged Iran Threat With Secret Catering Truck Switch

President Donald Trump was secretly moved off Air Force One using an airport catering truck during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, last month, as part of an elaborate security operation triggered by a credible Iranian assassination threat, according to reporting by the Washington Post, which cited a U.S. official and corroborating material it reviewed.

How the Operation Unfolded

Trump walked up the stairs of the legacy blue-and-white Boeing 747, the older Air Force One, and waved to news cameras before entering the cabin. Minutes later, Trump and a small team of aides stepped out of view into an airport catering truck that had been lifted to an exit door on the far side of the plane. The truck then lowered to ground level and drove across the tarmac to a nearby Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757.

Meanwhile, the media and White House staff boarded the older 747, believing Trump was inside. Reporters were then instructed to close their window shades for takeoff, and the jet took off as a decoy. Trump's actual location was concealed from journalists and some White House staff members.

The operation unfolded on July 8, as Trump left Ankara following the NATO summit, one night after U.S. forces resumed strikes on Iran amid a breakdown in negotiations, and just across the border from a country whose government had reportedly threatened him directly.

The Boeing 747-8, RAF Mildenhall, and What Came Next

Trump had flown into Turkey aboard his newly renovated, Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, marking the plane's first international trip since the government of Qatar gifted it to serve as a bridge aircraft ahead of Boeing's delayed new Air Force One fleet, expected in 2028. The Secret Service had advised Trump not to leave the NATO summit in Turkey on the newer Qatari-gifted Air Force One.

Trump flew in secrecy aboard the smaller C-32A to RAF Mildenhall in England, landing shortly before the decoy jet. Before departing Ankara, Trump had said on Truth Social that he would use an older Air Force One plane "for old time's sake" to RAF Mildenhall, while the new plane stopped at the same base so U.S. service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.

The White House has previously disclosed that a president was in a secret location, such as after the September 11 attacks, but this marks the first publicly reported instance of officials actively deceiving journalists and staff as to the president's whereabouts, though a U.S. official told the Post it was not the first time such a tactic had been used.

Iran holds missiles and drones with enough range to reach Turkey, including Shahed drones and Shahab ballistic missiles. However, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Iran does not possess weaponry capable of effectively striking England at a range of roughly 2,500 miles. That gap in capability explains why the operation appears to have concluded once Trump reached British soil.

Sources:
Fox News: Trump used catering truck, Air Force One decoy to evade Iran threat
NPR: Trump flies partway home from Turkey in an old Air Force One
The Hill: Secret Service advised Trump not to fly Qatari-gifted Air Force One