Trump flew secretly from Turkey due to Iranian threat

President Donald Trump discreetly departed from Turkey following the NATO summit last month, utilizing an alternative military aircraft while the White House staged it as though he was boarding Air Force One, according to a report by The Washington Post. The covert operation was reportedly initiated due to an Iranian threat against the president.

Journalists and certain White House personnel were misled into believing they were onboard the same plane as Trump as he commenced his journey back to Washington from the annual gathering of NATO leaders. The Post cited internal documents reviewed by its staff, a U.S. official familiar with the operation, and another person with knowledge of the president's travel. However, The Associated Press has not independently verified the report.

Trump had initially traveled to the summit in a new Qatari-gifted, red, white, and navy blue jet. However, prior to departing Turkey, he announced plans to fly part of the way home on an older-model, baby blue Air Force One plane. Upon arriving in Ankara, Trump boarded the older Air Force One jet in the presence of television cameras before it made its way to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

Subsequently, according to the Post, he was covertly transferred to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, via an airport catering truck typically used for transporting meals and supplies. Trump subsequently flew to Mildenhall on this smaller jet.

The White House has not officially addressed The Post's report on the secret operation to remove Trump from the country on a third aircraft, nor the elaborate ruse to make it appear he was on the baby blue Air Force One jet en route to Mildenhall. A White House spokesperson stated, "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 U.S. Secret Service declined to comment, while the Air Force referred inquiries to the White House.

Concerns have been raised about the security of the new Qatari-gifted aircraft. Some news outlets, including The New York Times and CBS News, reported that intelligence officials had expressed concerns about a potential attack on the president or his aircraft, leading to additional precautions and the decision not to utilize the newly acquired aircraft gifted to Trump by Qatar for the initial leg of his journey home from Ankara.

The swap has sparked questions about the safety of the Qatar-provided plane, which Trump has since stated would undergo additional upgrades. White House communications director Steven Cheung reassured the public that the new aircraft is "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 revelation of Trump's secret departure from the country via a third aircraft adds another layer to the extent of security concerns among U.S. officials during the ongoing conflict with Iran. Former Secret Service special agent Paul Eckloff noted that such an unusual move could either indicate actionable intelligence or an abundance of caution in the volatile regional situation involving wars in Iran and Ukraine.

He described the incident as "unprecedented" but not unprecedented. The Post reported that Trump and several aides concealed themselves within an airport catering truck to exit the plane without drawing attention from those not involved in the operation. Upon arriving at Mildenhall, news photographers captured images of Trump disembarking the presidential plane, seemingly reembarking it unseen by the journalists who believed they were traveling with him.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a congressional briefing on the incident, deeming it "downright scary." Upon boarding the new Air Force One aircraft for the remainder of the trip to Washington, Trump was asked about any credible threats on the plane by Iran, to which he responded, "I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list before you."