Trump breaks silence on plane switch and 'hiding in catering truck' over possible threat
Donald Trump has finally broken his silence on the extraordinary security operation that saw him switch aircrafts on his way home from a NATO summit in Turkey.
According to reports, intelligence officials raised concerns about a possible Iranian assassination attempt, which caused the elaborate plan to unfold.
The president confirmed he agreed to leave the plane being presented as Air Force One and instead travel aboard a smaller C-32A aircraft.
The switch was reportedly carried out in secret, with Trump transferred between planes using a catering vehicle.
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Trump has now said he simply followed instructions from his security team.
“I just follow what they'd like me to do,” Trump said Tuesday, when asked about the plan. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, so I do it. I do what they say.”
Why did Trump secretly switch planes in Turkey?
Trump also appeared to downplay how much he knew about the intelligence that led to the change.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” he said.
The president then suggested the plane he actually traveled on may have been more vulnerable than the aircraft being used as a decoy.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk!” Trump said. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane, I think, that they would be more likely to go for it.”
The unusual journey happened after Trump attended the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, last month.
He had flown to the summit aboard a new Boeing 747-8 jet donated by Qatar. For the return journey, however, he had indicated he would use an older Air Force One aircraft, reportedly saying he wanted to do so for ‘old times’ sake’.
That was apparently not what happened.
Trump was seen boarding the legacy Air Force One in Ankara. However, according to The Washington Post he was subsequently moved into a food container beneath the aircraft.
A catering truck then transported the container to the waiting C-32A, allowing Trump to transfer aircraft without making his whereabouts obvious.
The ruse appears to have worked on those aboard the older Air Force One. Journalists and some senior White House staff reportedly believed Trump was still on board, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was seen boarding the C-32A, helping reinforce the appearance of a routine flight.
Reporters on the decoy aircraft were instructed to close their window shades.
After the planes landed in the UK, Trump was reportedly transferred back to the legacy Air Force One, where he was seen descending from the aircraft using external stairs.
He then boarded the Qatar-donated 747-8 for the final journey to Washington with the White House press pool.
During that flight, Trump spoke to reporters for around 15 minutes and discussed the threat he believed Iran posed.
When asked why journalists had been told to keep their shades closed during the journey from Turkey, Trump said it was 'because you're probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with.'
He also said he has a “threat all the time” against his life and claimed he is 'number one' on Iran's list.
The White House and Secret Service have not publicly provided further details about the intelligence that prompted the aircraft switch.
Topics: Donald Trump, Iran, Politics
Thomas Bamford