In a startling confirmation to reporters this Tuesday, former President Donald Trump has acknowledged that he was part of an elaborate last-minute plane swap during his departure from last month’s NATO summit in Turkey, arranged by the United States Secret Service and military in response to a verified potential security threat.
“I follow the guidance of the Secret Service and the military. They instructed me to take a different flight on a different aircraft,” Trump stated. “I have no choice but to comply with their directions.”
This public confirmation comes after weeks of media reports detailing the complex ruse pulled off on July 8 at Ankara’s international airport. According to multiple official and media accounts, Trump was filmed by television cameras boarding the standard Air Force One presidential jet, in line with his earlier announcement that he would depart on the older aircraft “for old time’s sake” after arriving in Turkey aboard a newer Boeing 747-8 provided by Qatar.
What cameras and most people on site did not see, however, was Trump slipping off the opposite side of the jet onto a catering truck that was elevated to the plane’s entry level. He was then covertly transported to a smaller C-32A military aircraft, a modified Boeing 757 that is most commonly used by the U.S. vice president, to depart the country. To maintain the illusion that Trump remained on the original Air Force One, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the C-32A separately via external stairs to keep the flight operating under a routine appearance.
Most journalists accompanying the presidential delegation and even several White House staff members were kept completely in the dark about the switch. After boarding the decoy Air Force One, they were instructed to close their window shades, leaving them unaware that the commander-in-chief was no longer on the aircraft with them.
Multiple U.S. officials, speaking to CBS News—BBC’s U.S. partner—confirmed that the unprecedented security move was triggered after American intelligence detected a credible threat from Iran to launch a missile strike against the presidential aircraft. This development comes one day after the U.S. resumed targeted military strikes on Iranian positions, following the total collapse of negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending ongoing hostilities between the two nations.
The secret plane swap has sparked public debate over potential risks, with questions raised about whether the personnel left on the decoy Air Force One were unknowingly placed in danger. But Trump pushed back against these concerns on Tuesday, emphasizing that the alternate military jet he ultimately departed on faced the greater risk.
This is not the first time Trump has framed himself as a top target for Iran. During the NATO summit itself, he publicly stated that he was Iran’s “number one target” for attack.