Trump’s Secret Plane Swap: How An Iran Threat Turned Air Force One Into A Decoy In Turkey

US President Donald Trump was secretly moved from Air Force One to a smaller military aircraft while leaving a NATO summit in Turkey last month after US intelligence detected what officials considered a credible Iranian threat, according to reports by The New York Times and The Washington Post.

The security alert emerged as Trump prepared to leave Ankara on July 8, the final day of the NATO summit. US officials told The New York Times that intelligence agencies had received multiple pieces of information pointing to a potential surface-to-air missile threat against the presidential aircraft. Intelligence also reportedly indicated that an individual near the summit had been seen carrying a shoulder-fired missile.

Officials were also concerned that Iranian operatives knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the floor of the building where he was located.

How The Decoy Operation Worked

Trump initially boarded Air Force One in front of television cameras. He had earlier said he would use the older presidential aircraft “for old time’s sake”.

He was then covertly transferred to a C-32A military aircraft, a modified Boeing 757 typically used by the vice-president. According to The Washington Post, an airport catering vehicle was positioned alongside the aircraft and helped move Trump out of sight.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the C-32A separately using external stairs. Meanwhile, reporters and some White House staff remained aboard Air Force One and were reportedly unaware that Trump had left.

Journalists were instructed to keep the aircraft’s window shades closed, with the request attributed to the Secret Service. Air Force One subsequently departed Turkey with the press corps and other personnel still aboard, effectively serving as a decoy.

Trump later confirmed that he had switched aircraft because his security team and military advisers believed it was necessary.

“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it,” Trump told reporters, adding that he routinely receives threats.

Why The Threat Raised Concern

Trump has previously faced threats from Iran, including a murder-for-hire plot uncovered by the Biden administration. However, US authorities have said the two assassination attempts against Trump in 2024 were unrelated to Iran.

The White House has not disclosed the intelligence that triggered the latest operation. Communications Director Steven Cheung said there were “many enemies of America” targeting Trump and that authorities were using available measures to protect him.

An Unusual Security Measure

Presidents have previously made secret overseas trips, including Joe Biden’s covert 2023 visit to Kyiv and Trump’s 2019 trip to Afghanistan. Those operations involved journalists travelling with or documenting the president.

What makes the Turkey operation unusual is that Trump’s own travelling press pool was reportedly unaware of his whereabouts while the decoy aircraft was airborne.