Trump Secretly Flew Smaller Jet From Turkiye Amid Iran Threat: Report

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly departed Turkiye last month on a smaller aircraft than previously disclosed, a move prompted by an alleged assassination threat from Iran. The Washington Post, citing an anonymous U.S. official, detailed a clandestine operation on July 8.

According to the report, Trump boarded the presidential jet, Air Force One, in Ankara. However, he then transferred to a catering container attached to the plane. This container then ferried him to a smaller C-32A aircraft, which subsequently flew him to Britain. Meanwhile, media and some officials were led to believe Trump remained on the larger jet.

The Iranian threat had previously been cited by U.S. media as the reason Trump did not fly out of Turkiye aboard a new Boeing 747-8, a luxury airliner gifted by Qatar. At the time, Trump stated he would use the older Boeing 747 so that U.S. military members at a British airbase could tour the new plane.

However, multiple U.S. media outlets, including The New York Times, reported that the threat from Iranian proxy forces was the actual reason for the switch. Journalists on the older plane out of Ankara were instructed to keep their window blinds down, a security measure typically reserved for war zones, further fueling suspicions about security concerns. The report also noted that the Qatar-gifted jet lacked the same security features, such as anti-missile defenses, as the older aircraft.