Trump reportedly used catering truck to sneak off Air Force One amid Iranian threats

The Washington Post has reported that President Donald Trump allegedly utilized a secret military plane to evade Air Force One during a journey from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month, as detailed by the outlet. This covert maneuver, as per the Post, was executed without informing the onboard press or certain White House personnel, all while the White House claimed Trump was aboard the conventional Air Force One.

The White House declined to comment on the specifics, stating, "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."

On July 8, Trump was spotted boarding the aircraft; however, according to the Post, Trump was subsequently moved to a catering truck, akin to those used for transporting food and drinks. Trump had publicly announced at the time that he would not board the Qatari-provided Air Force One due to apprehensions about security, stating that he was transferring the aircraft to a base in the UK for personnel to inspect it. ABC News had previously reported that security concerns had prompted Trump to avoid the plane.

During the flight, reporters aboard were instructed to keep their windows closed, a directive attributed to the Secret Service. Despite Trump's absence, the Post noted that Air Force One had its transponder disabled. Trump emerged from the old plane in the UK and boarded the Qatari-provided jet. The sequence of his return to the aircraft remains ambiguous.

Once aboard the new Air Force One en route back to the U.S., Trump conversed with reporters, responding "no, no" when queried about any security apprehensions relating to the plane swap. When asked about the necessity to dim the window blinds on the plane, Trump replied, "Well, yeah, because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with."