Trump Secretly Used Military Jet to Leave Turkey Amid Iran Threats
Donald Trump was flown out of Turkey last month in a covert operation after security concerns tied to the war with neighboring Iran, according to
Donald Trump was flown out of Turkey last month in a covert operation after security concerns tied to the war with neighboring Iran, according to U.S. officials and reports citing people familiar with the plan. The exit was designed to hide his whereabouts from potential threats.
One U.S. official confirmed key details of the operation, including the use of a military aircraft from Ankara to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in Britain. The move came after the NATO summit in Turkey, when Trump was steered away from public view and onto a C-32 in a plan that included a catering truck and a decoy aircraft.
Catering truck, decoy plane
According to the accounts reported by The Washington Post and confirmed in part by NBC News, Trump was moved by a catering truck usually used to load in-flight meals. Reporters traveling with him were left believing he remained on his plane while the secret transfer took place.
The aircraft carrying Trump then flew on to the UK base, where he secretly left the plane again before reappearing publicly later. He was shown arriving by the older Air Force One jet and then walking across the tarmac to a newer Qatari-donated aircraft that lacks some security features and is due for additional retrofitting.
White House did not dispute report
When NBC News sought comment, White House communications director Steven Cheung did not dispute the account published by The Washington Post, which said it relied on material reviewed by the paper, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president’s travel.
The episode adds a strange wrinkle to Trump’s travel security at a moment when tensions linked to Iran have already sharpened the protective measures around him. It also underscores how far the White House was willing to go to keep the president’s movements hidden, even from some of the people traveling nearby.
