BREAKING: The Washington Post reports that Donald Trump was secretly moved off Air Force One and onto another military aircraft during his trip to Turkey last month amid an Iranian assassination threat, as he feared for his life.
Trump publicly boarded the legacy Air Force One, but was then reportedly smuggled off using an airport catering truck and transferred to a smaller military plane. The original Air Force One continued on as a decoy carrying journalists and White House staff who believed Trump was still aboard.
Trump’s actual plane reportedly flew to Britain under a nondescript call sign with its tracking systems disabled, concealing his location for hours.
The White House, meanwhile, publicly maintained that Trump had traveled aboard the legacy Air Force One.
This appears to be the order of operations:
1. Trump flies to Turkey on the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One for the NATO summit.
2. An Iranian assassination threat triggers a secret “deception operation.” Security officials devise a plan to conceal which aircraft Trump is actually traveling on.
3. The Qatari-gifted Air Force One leaves Turkey first, without Trump.
4. Trump publicly boards the legacy Air Force One in Ankara, walking up the stairs and waving for cameras, creating the appearance that this is his plane home.
5. Trump secretly exits Air Force One through the other side of the aircraft and gets into an airport catering truck raised to the plane’s door.
6. The catering truck drives Trump to a smaller Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 parked nearby.
7.. Trump secretly boards the C-32A. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also boards separately.
8. Reporters and some White House staff board the legacy Air Force One, apparently unaware Trump is no longer aboard. They are instructed to close their window shades. (Remember all that reporting from the time?)
9. The legacy Air Force One takes off as a decoy and eventually uses the “AF1” call sign despite Trump not being aboard.
10. Trump’s actual C-32A flies secretly to Britain under the nondescript call sign “Reach 18,” with its normal flight-tracking systems reportedly switched off.
11. Trump arrives at RAF Mildenhall in Britain on the C-32A, shortly before the decoy Air Force One arrives.
12. Trump somehow transfers back onto the legacy Air Force One after landing. The Post says exactly how this transfer occurred remains unclear.
13. Trump then emerges from the legacy Air Force One in front of cameras, making it appear as though that was the aircraft he had flown from Turkey.
14. Trump boards the Qatari-gifted Air Force One in Britain and finally flies back to Washington with the press and staff.
P.S. Remember when Trump told the reporters on the plane, “I go, you go,” in regard to the plane being targeted? It actually seems Trump left and endangered the lives of everyone on board.