Trump Used Elaborate Ruse to Fly Out of Turkey Following Summit Because of Iran Threat, Report Says

President Donald Trump secretly departed a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, using an alternate military aircraft while the White House created the appearance that he was flying on Air Force One, according to a report published by The Washington Post.

The operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. Journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were aboard the same plane as the president during his departure from the gathering of NATO country leaders.

Trump had arrived at the summit in a newly acquired Qatari-gifted jet. Before leaving Turkey, he announced he would fly partway home on an older Air Force One instead, stating the new luxury jet would be flown ahead to allow U.S. Troops based in Eastern England to inspect the aircraft.

Trump boarded the legacy Air Force One in view of television cameras before the plane departed for Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. However, according to the Post, he was subsequently transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A aircraft via an airport catering truck. Trump completed the flight to Mildenhall on that smaller jet.

The White House did not directly address questions about the operation. Communications director Steven Cheung stated: "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."

Intelligence officials had previously raised concerns about a potential attack on the president or his jet. The New York Times and CBS News reported that these concerns led to additional precautions and the decision not to use the new aircraft for the initial leg of Trump's journey home from Ankara.

Cheung maintained that the Qatari-gifted plane was "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."

Former Secret Service special agent Paul Eckloff said such an unusual move could reflect actionable intelligence or caution given regional volatility. "I would not say unprecedented, but it is an unusual occurrence," He said.

To exit unseen, Trump and several aides boarded the airport catering truck, which was positioned at a door opposite Air Force One's entrance. Reporters traveling with Trump were instructed to lower their window shades before takeoff.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a congressional investigation, describing the incident as "unprecedented," "surreal," And "downright scary."

After visiting Mildenhall, Trump boarded the new Air Force One for the remainder of the flight to Washington. When asked by reporters if there were credible threats from Iran against Air Force One, Trump responded: "Well, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list before you." He added: "But if I go, you go."