Trump Secretly Changed Planes After Iran Warning

US President Donald Trump confirmed that last month, following the NATO summit in Ankara, he secretly switched planes at the direction of the Secret Service. The reason was reportedly a threat of an assassination attempt by Iran.

After boarding Air Force One, Trump was secretly transported in a catering van to another military aircraft, which he then used to fly to the United Kingdom.

The White House kept the incident under wraps, and the information was first reported by The Washington Post. The move sparked debate over whether journalists and presidential aides aboard the original plane had been put at risk. Trump said he had left the decision entirely to the Secret Service and the military.

“Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list before you”, he said, adding that he had followed the security team’s instructions even though, in his view, the replacement aircraft was more vulnerable than Air Force One.

The incident also raised questions about the security of the presidential fleet. Trump traveled to Ankara aboard a refurbished aircraft donated by Qatar, on what was its first international flight. For his departure from Turkey, however, he unexpectedly switched to an older aircraft.

The rushed modifications to the Qatari gift had previously raised concerns about both its cost and safety. At a time of heightened tensions with neighboring Iran, those concerns took on added significance.

(Reuters, Max)