Trump Secretly Ditches White House Reporters in Catering Box Flight Ruse

President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara on July 7 for the NATO summit that convened on July 8, according to multiple outlet accounts. The leader flew to the summit aboard a newly delivered, Qatari‑gifted Boeing 747 Air Force One that had been refurbished with “state‑of‑the‑art” amenities, a detail highlighted by The New York Times.

Intelligence officials warned of a credible Iranian threat to the president’s aircraft while he was still in Turkey. The Washington Post reported that the warning prompted the White House to abandon the new jet for the return leg of the journey and instead employ an older, baby‑blue Air Force One that boasts upgraded defensive systems.

Media additions

On the tarmac at Ankara International Airport, the president boarded the legacy Air Force One in full view of television cameras and the press corps. Video released by The New York Times shows the “catering containers used to transport meals on the opposite side of the plane” as Trump and a small group of aides disembarked through a cargo door.

Rather than remaining aboard the aircraft that journalists believed was carrying him, Trump stepped onto an airport catering truck bearing the logo of Austrian firm Do & Co. The truck, which the official Do & Co website describes as being lifted by a hydraulic scissor lift, was positioned at a door on the far side of the plane. From there the president and several aides entered a smaller Air Force C‑32A, a military jet that the Post identified as the “third plane” in the operation.

“Mr Trump was brought by vehicle from the third plane that he had arrived on to the older Air Force One, boarded it through a different entrance and strode down the step from the upper left‑side door as he would typically do, according to a US official.”

The New York Times

The move left a contingent of reporters and White House staff on the older Air Force One. The BBC, cited by Gizmodo, reported that those passengers were instructed to keep their window shades down for the flight to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. The Post noted that the press and staff “served as unknowing decoys,” unaware that the president had already departed on the C‑32A.

After landing at Mildenhall, photographs captured Trump alighting from the older Air Force One, suggesting he had re‑boarded the aircraft unseen by the journalists still on board. The president then transferred to the Qatari‑gifted Air Force One for the final leg back to Washington, a sequence corroborated by both The New York Times and the Post.

White House communications director Steven Cheung defended the operation in a statement cited by The Guardian and repeated in the Post: “The new Air Force One is a state‑of‑the‑art aircraft that has been fitted with high‑level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.” He added, “As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”

In response to questions from reporters aboard the final flight, Trump told the press, “Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list before you,” and later added, “But if I go, you go.” He also used his Truth Social platform to announce that the new Air Force One would be sent to Mildenhall “to give them a chance to tour the aircraft,” framing the brief stop as a “brave heroes” gesture.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a congressional briefing on the episode, describing it as “unprecedented and … surreal,” and labeling the episode “downright scary” during a CNN interview. The U.S. Secret Service declined to comment, and the Air Force, which maintains the executive fleet, redirected inquiries to the White House.

Analysts such as former Secret Service special agent Paul Eckloff remarked that the ruse could reflect “actionable intelligence or an abundance of caution” given the volatile security environment in the region, which includes concurrent wars in Iran and Ukraine.

The report has spurred renewed scrutiny of the Qatari‑gifted jet’s defensive capabilities. The New York Times and CBS News, referencing intelligence concerns, noted that the newer aircraft lacks the “anti‑missile capabilities” of the older models, a factor that may have driven the decision to revert to the legacy plane for the outbound leg.