Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Trump secretly switched planes on Ankara return amid Iran threats
The president of the United States flies on special airplanes called Air Force One.
After a big meeting with world leaders in Turkey, President Trump surprised everyone by saying he would not fly home on the fancy new plane that Qatar had given to the country.
He said the plane would go ahead to an air base in England so soldiers and their families could look at it.
Reporters who were supposed to ride with him were told to close their window shades, which was very unusual.
Weeks later, people found out why: the president had secretly gotten off the plane using a catering truck and climbed onto a different government jet.
That happened because people were worried about his safety, since Iran has been trying to hurt President Trump for a long time and he kept talking about those threats.
When the reporters landed in England, the president made it look like he had been on their plane the whole time, but he had not.
President Trump said safety was not the reason for the change, but he admitted that Iran is a danger to him.
In the end, the flight to England was calm and uneventful, and no one was hurt.
During the closing hours of the NATO Leaders' Summit in Ankara, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he would not fly home on the new Qatari-provided presidential plane, saying he sent it ahead to Mildenhall Air Force Base so servicemembers could tour it.
Weeks later it emerged that the move masked a covert operation: Trump left the aircraft via a catering truck and boarded a different government jet due to a security concern.
On the summit's final day, July 8, Trump repeatedly raised Iran's longstanding attempts to kill him in comments to reporters.
White House staff ordered journalists to close their window shades, citing a Secret Service request, an instruction later revealed to help hide the operation.
In England, Trump descended from a different section of the plane and walked to the Qatari-provided Air Force One as part of the ruse; a third plane was involved, and Trump denied security concerns were a factor while acknowledging Iran threats: 'If I go, you go, right?'
- Who
- U.S. President Donald Trump, along with White House staff, the Secret Service and the traveling press pool; at the summit he also met world leaders including Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
- What
- Trump secretly left the Qatari-provided presidential aircraft via a catering truck and boarded a different government jet due to a security concern, while journalists flew on to Mildenhall Air Force Base believing he was aboard.
- When
- During the closing hours of the NATO Leaders' Summit in Ankara in July, with the summit's final day on July 8; details of the covert operation emerged weeks later.
- Where
- Ankara, Turkey (the NATO summit); Mildenhall Air Force Base, England (the stopover); en route to Washington.
- Why
- Because of a security concern tied to Iran's longstanding attempts to kill Trump.
- President
- Donald Trump
- Aircraft
- New presidential plane gifted by Qatar to the administration last year; reported to lack certain safety features
- Event
- Return from the NATO Leaders' Summit in Ankara
- Timing
- Closing hours of the summit in July; final day July 8; covert operation revealed weeks later
- Stopover
- Mildenhall Air Force Base, England
- Security concern
- Iran's longstanding attempts to kill Trump
- Covert maneuver
- Left the aircraft via a catering truck and boarded a different government jet (a third plane)
- Official explanation
- Plane flown ahead so servicemembers could tour it; Trump said he would fly to Mildenhall on an older Air Force One, with 'virtually no deviation' from the flight path