President Donald Trump’s recent exit out of Turkey was allegedly much more than just an ordinary travel day.
According to multiple reports, Trump, 80, secretly slipped out of Turkey in July on an alternate military plane, which he boarded while hidden inside a catering truck. (The White House previously stated he was aboard Air Force One.)
The security plan — first reported by The Washington Post — showcased the lengths officials went to in order to protect Trump from being assassinated by Iran.
The mission was carried out unbeknownst to journalists and even some White House staff members, who believed they were on the same plane as the president, according to The Washington Post.
Trump himself confirmed via social media in July that he would use the “former Air Force One” to fly out of Turkey. (He flew to the country on a new plane gifted by Qatar and meant to be used as Air Force One.)
“To honor our brave men and women of the Military, we are sending the brand new, and truly spectacular, Air Force One to Mildenhall Air Force Base, in the United Kingdom, to give them a chance to tour the Aircraft — Everybody is so excited, and we thought that they should be the first,” he wrote via Truth Social on July 8. “For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey to Mildenhall, a short trip that is totally worth doing in order to give our Great Military Heroes a chance to appreciate our beautiful new addition to the Air Force Fleet!”
Us has reached out to the White House for comment.
When asked about the reports of a secret plane switch, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung told CNN, “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. As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”
Trump was in Ankara for a NATO summit with various world leaders. The operation occurred one evening after United States forces renewed military strikes on Iran at Trump’s direction following a breakdown of peace negotiations.
The military conflict between the U.S. and Iran continues to focus heavily on economic warfare and control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
According to officials, 18 U.S. service members have died in the war with Iran since military operations began on February 28.
