The Washington Post reported on Aug. 11 that U.S. President Donald Trump, after attending the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, did not board his official aircraft for the United Kingdom as publicly scheduled. Instead, citing a credible Iranian assassination threat, he secretly transferred to a smaller military aircraft, using airport catering trucks as cover for his covert departure.
Catering truck decoy: hydraulic lift whisks President away
According to the report, Trump first boarded the older blue-and-white Boeing 747 Air Force One in front of cameras, waving to airport personnel to create the illusion that he was about to depart on that aircraft. However, just minutes later, Trump and a handful of core aides quietly exited from the other side of the plane and boarded a catering truck that had been delivering in-flight meals. The truck's cargo compartment was equipped with hydraulic equipment, which was raised to the height of the aircraft cabin door to pick up Trump, then slowly lowered back to the ground before driving to a nearby C-32A military aircraft. The C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, serves as a U.S. government VIP transport capable of carrying the President or Vice President.
Old aircraft as decoy: staff and journalists kept in the dark
What is even more striking is that this meticulously planned "deception operation" was strictly kept secret from the vast majority of personnel. Some White House staff and accompanying journalists who boarded the older Air Force One had no idea the President was not on board. Before boarding, White House personnel ordered everyone to close their window shades, cutting off their view of the outside. During the flight, the old Air Force One without Trump still used the "AF1" presidential call sign, while the C-32A carrying the real President used the ordinary military transport flight call sign "Reach 18" and switched off systems that would have allowed easy tracking of the aircraft's position. The two aircraft operated in perfect coordination—one visible, one hidden.
Escalating threat following breakdown of U.S.-Iran talks
The dramatic operation took place the day after the U.S. military resumed strikes against Iran. Earlier, negotiations aimed at ending months of war between the U.S. and Iran had broken down, and Trump ordered the resumption of military strikes against Iran. With Turkey sharing a border with Iran, and U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly in possession of specific threat intelligence targeting Trump personally or his aircraft, security officials had no choice but to activate emergency contingency plans.
It is worth noting that Trump publicly claimed at the time that he had switched to the older Air Force One out of "nostalgia" for the past. However, The Washington Post's investigation revealed that this was merely a cover story. How Trump secretly transferred back from the C-32A to the older Air Force One before making a public appearance upon arriving in the UK remains unclear. On the return flight to the United States, Trump told reporters that he was "target number one" on Iran's assassination list, but made no mention of the dramatic aircraft swap that had just taken place.
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