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The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump boarded the older Air Force One in Ankara on July 8, 2026, in full public view after announcing he would use the legacy jet for old times’ sake. He was then covertly moved in an elevated catering truck typically used for meal service to a waiting C-32A military aircraft, a modified Boeing 757 often employed by the vice president. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the alternate plane using external stairs to sustain the deception that Trump remained aboard the larger jet, according to the newspaper. Journalists and certain White House staff on the decoy aircraft were directed to lower all window shades and were not informed of the presidential swap during the initial departure phase.
Reuters reported citing a US official familiar with the planning that the elaborate ruse was activated by intelligence indicating Iran planned to fire a missile at the aircraft following the collapse of negotiations and subsequent American strikes. The New York Times had previously outlined how the Secret Service recommended the aircraft change due to unresolved questions about the defensive systems on the Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar that now serves as the primary Air Force One. Trump had declared at the summit in Ankara that he remained Iran’s number one target, a statement he reiterated while speaking with reporters aboard one of the flights. A similar decoy tactic was employed by President Bill Clinton in 2000 when he entered Pakistan on an unmarked executive jet while Air Force One acted as a diversion, Reuters noted.
Trump told reporters on the plane that window shades were lowered because passengers were probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags. He continued by saying but if I go you go right and suggested perhaps someday you want to change professions. The president emphasized throughout the journey that the threat from Iran persisted at all times.
According to CBS News reporting referenced across coverage older Air Force One variants include laser systems capable of blinding incoming missiles while the precise capabilities of the new Qatari-supplied jet were not publicly detailed at the time of the incident. The Washington Post reported that after landing at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom Trump switched aircraft again before proceeding to the United States though the exact sequence of the final transfer remains unclear. The operation ensured the smaller jet could depart Turkish airspace without drawing the anticipated attention from potential threats.
White House communications director Steven Cheung stated that the new Air Force One incorporates state-of-the-art security measures. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt added in a separate briefing that further upgrades to the aircraft will be completed in fall 2026. The administration has declined to verify operational specifics of the Turkey departure while stressing overall presidential travel safety.
The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the sources of the leaked details with several journalists called to testify according to reports from multiple outlets including Forbes. The Washington Post noted that the episode occurred against a backdrop of heightened tensions with Iran following the breakdown in diplomatic talks. An Independent review of the accounts confirmed the catering truck transfer formed the central element of the security protocol that kept the president’s actual location concealed during the critical departure window.
