Trump says Secret Service forced plane switch after Turkey summit
President Donald Trump confirmed that the Secret Service and military ordered him to covertly switch aircraft during a recent trip after facing a security threat.
Trump says Secret Service forced plane switch after Turkey summit
President Donald Trump told reporters on August 11 that the Secret Service and military ordered him to abandon the aircraft that the White House had publicly presented as Air Force One.
“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it, I do what they say,” Trump said after deplaning at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington, following a stop in Ohio.
“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it, I do what they say.”
Media additions
Image via bracknellnews.co.uk
Donald Trump, President, via Straitstimes
He added that a vague threat had prompted the switch: “I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats.”
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats.”
Donald Trump, President, via Bracknellnews
How the maneuver unfolded
According to a Washington Post report cited by both the Strait Times and Bracknell News, the deception began in Ankara, where journalists and White House staff saw Trump board the older “baby‑blue” Air Force One on camera. Once inside, he is said to have walked to the opposite side of the fuselage, been lifted onto a catering truck, and then transferred to a smaller C‑32A aircraft. That plane carried him to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in Suffolk before the journey continued to Ohio and then Washington, D.C.
The AP’s live‑updates feed echoed the same sequence, describing the old Air Force One as a “decoy” while Trump “stowed away in an airport catering container to slip into another plane.” The feed also recorded his repeated insistence that the threat “didn’t scare him.”
Bracknell News added that the “new Qatari‑gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet” had been used for the trip to the summit, but that Trump planned to fly part of the way home on the older aircraft “so troops based in England could view the new Air Force One.” That plan never materialised; the old jet lifted off with White House officials, security personnel and reporters on board while the president vanished aboard the C‑32A.
Official statements and language
White House communications director Steven Cheung, who declined to confirm the details when first asked, later issued a statement that mirrored Trump’s wording about “many enemies of America.” The exact phrasing appeared in both the August 10 White House release and the same day’s statement quoted in the Bracknell News article: “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.”
“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.”
Steven Cheung, White House communications director, via Bracknellnews
The U.S. Air Force defended the new aircraft, stating it is “safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission.” The service also noted that “no risk was taken in security, safety or mission communications, but the collective team made trades on some of the less commonly used mission sets.”
The new Air Force One “is safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission.”
U.S. Air Force, via Straitstimes
Broader security context
The Strait Times linked the aircraft swap to an “Iranian assassination threat” that surfaced while Trump attended the NATO summit. It noted that the United States had carried out strikes against Iran after Iranian forces attacked shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the heightened tension that framed the president’s departure.
Earlier, in July, The New York Times reported that security officials had raised concerns about a possible attack against the president, prompting the decision to move him from the new jet to the older one for the return flight. The same report said the Trump administration later issued subpoenas to Times reporters for their source, only to withdraw them.
Historical precedent
In 2000, then‑President Bill Clinton covertly flew on an unmarked aircraft from India and Pakistan because of security risks, but a small group of White House reporters were briefed ahead of time. By contrast, the recent switch left the press pool unaware, raising questions about transparency and the use of a decoy aircraft.
Chronology of public statements
July — NATO summit in Ankara; Trump arrives on the Qatari‑gifted jet.
Late July — The New York Times reports security officials flagging a possible attack.
August 10, Steven Cheung releases a statement about “many enemies of America.”
August 11, Trump repeats the Secret Service directive in an interview after returning to Ohio.
August 11, The Washington Post, Strait Times and Bracknell News publish the first detailed accounts of the plane swap.
August 12, AP live‑updates relay Trump’s remarks and the operational details.
