TRUMP SECRETLY SWITCHED PLANES IN TÜRKIYE AFTER IRAN-LINKED ASSASSINATION THREAT

Tue 11 August 2026:

US President Donald Trump reportedly carried out a highly secretive plane switch during his visit to Türkiye last month after American intelligence received what officials described as a credible threat linked to Iran.

According to reports by The Washington Post and The New York Times, Trump was publicly expected to leave the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8 aboard an older version of Air Force One. In reality, the presidential aircraft was reportedly used as a decoy while Trump was quietly transported to a smaller US military aircraft that flew him to the United Kingdom.

The operation was allegedly triggered by concerns that Iran-aligned armed groups could target the president. The threat had previously been cited by US media as the reason Trump did not leave Türkiye aboard the newer Boeing 747-8 that had brought him to the country.

That aircraft had been presented to the United States by Qatar and was being used by Trump during the trip. At the time, Trump said he would return on the older Air Force One “for old time’s sake”, without publicly revealing the security arrangements behind the decision.

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Air Force One reportedly used as a decoy

The reported deception involved Trump being moved discreetly from the summit area inside a catering container before being transferred to a C-32A, a smaller military aircraft commonly used to transport senior US officials.

Meanwhile, journalists assigned to cover the president believed they were travelling with him aboard the older Air Force One. Reporters were reportedly instructed to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed, apparently because of heightened security concerns.

The Washington Post reported that even some White House employees believed Trump was aboard the aircraft being used as the decoy.

After arriving in Britain, Trump was seen publicly exiting the older Air Force One, maintaining the impression that he had travelled aboard that aircraft. It remains unclear how he was transferred from the C-32A to the larger plane.

Trump subsequently returned to Washington aboard the newer aircraft provided by Qatar.

White House defends security measures

The White House has not disputed that heightened security measures were used during Trump’s departure from Türkiye.

White House Communications Director Steve Cheung defended the newer presidential aircraft, saying the United States uses all available measures to protect the president against foreign threats.

He said the Boeing 747-8 had been equipped with advanced security systems designed to protect Trump and members of his staff.

Cheung also pointed to Trump’s previous warnings that hostile actors were seeking to target him, stressing that the administration would use “every tool at our disposal” to deal with potential threats.

The reported operation highlights the extraordinary security precautions surrounding the US president amid continuing tensions between Washington and Tehran. It also demonstrates how presidential travel plans can be deliberately concealed—even from members of the travelling press corps and some government personnel—when intelligence agencies believe there is a credible threat to the president’s safety.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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