How the White House ‘smuggled’ Donald Trump out of Turkey, and why
President Donald Trump gestures as he switches planes at U.S. Air Force Base, RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk Eastern England, on his way back to Washington from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. (Photo:AP)United States President Donald Trump secretly left Turkey on a hidden military flight last month, even though the White House told the public he had departed aboard Air Force One, according to a detailed report from the Washington Post.
The operation, described by a US official as a “deception operation,” was triggered by a credible threat to Trump involving Iran. To carry it out, the Post reports, Trump was quietly moved from the plane he had boarded in front of television cameras and shuttled across the tarmac in an airport catering truck, the kind normally used to load meals and supplies before a flight, before being placed on a separate, unmarked aircraft.
The New York Times later confirmed the operation through its own official source. The switch took place while Trump was in Ankara for a NATO summit, at a moment when tensions with Iran, which borders Turkey, were rising sharply.
What actually happened in Ankara?
Trump had travelled to Ankara for a NATO summit. As cameras rolled, he boarded what looked like the older Air Force One jet in full view of the press. Minutes later, according to a US official cited by the Post, he was quietly shuttled away in an airport catering truck, the kind normally used to load meals onto planes, and moved onto a smaller aircraft, an Air Force C-32A.
Trump’s real location was kept from journalists travelling with him and even from some White House staff. A US official told the Post that the switch, described as a “deception operation,” was set off by a credible threat to Trump involving Iran.
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Why did officials go to these lengths?
The trip came as tensions with Iran, which borders Turkey, were rising. It was also the first international trip for a newly renovated Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar, whose fast-tracked upgrades had already drawn questions over cost and security.
Before leaving Ankara, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would use the older, “baby blue” Air Force One “for old time’s sake” to fly to RAF Mildenhall in Britain, while the new plane made a separate stop at the same base so US service members could tour it. That public explanation, the Guardian notes, was not the full story.
What did journalists on the flight notice?
Reporters travelling on what they believed was Trump’s flight were told to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed. When asked about this later, Trump said it was because they were “probably on a dangerous flight,” adding, “But if I go, you go. Right?”
The Guardian reports it is still unclear exactly how Trump was later moved from the smaller C-32A back onto the older Air Force One, from which he was seen stepping off in Britain at around 10.56pm local time. He gave a peace sign to the press, spent time greeting service members, and then walked over to the new Qatar-donated plane.
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How has the White House responded?
White House communications director Steve Cheung said the Qatari-donated plane has been fitted with high-level security measures to protect the president and his staff, adding that the administration uses every tool available to address threats against him.
