President Donald Trump secretly boarded a smaller U.S. military aircraft and used an older Air Force One jet as a decoy to leave the NATO summit in Ankara in July, The Washington Post reported, citing an official and other material it reviewed. The maneuver reportedly took place amid a credible Iranian threat targeting the president.
Trump arrived in Ankara on July 8 aboard a new Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, the Post reported. Intelligence officials identified a specific threat after U.S. military strikes against Iranian targets earlier in the summer, and U.S. security officials executed a ruse on the tarmac, the Post said.
According to the Post, Trump walked up the stairs of a legacy blue-and-white Boeing 747, waved to cameras and then, minutes later, stepped into an airport catering truck that had been lifted to an exit door. The truck drove to a nearby Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, and the president flew secretly to RAF Mildenhall in England, the report said.
The Washington Post reported that media and some White House staff boarded the older 747 believing Trump was inside. Reporters were instructed to close their window shades for takeoff, and the jet departed as a decoy. Flight-tracking data reviewed by the Post showed the legacy jet initially appeared on radar without a call sign before taking the “AF1” call sign midflight, despite Trump not being aboard.
Trump landed in England shortly before the decoy jet and later appeared before TV cameras at about 10:56 p.m., descending the legacy aircraft’s external stairs, according to a media pool report. He then boarded the Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 for the return flight to Washington at about 11:01 p.m., the Post said. The report said it was unclear how Trump transferred between aircraft after landing.
When reporters asked about the closed window shades, Trump said, “You’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with,” and said he is “Number One” on Iran’s target list, according to the media pool report cited by the Post. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told Fox News 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,” the network reported. The U.S. Air Force also told Fox News the aircraft is “safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission.” Fox News reported it reached out to the U.S. Secret Service for comment.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
