New York, August 11 President Donald Trump secretly traveled from Turkey to Britain aboard a military aircraft. According to US media reports, this was done for security reasons. While Trump had publicly boarded Air Force One, he actually made the journey to Britain in a military plane.
US media reports state that after boarding Air Force One in Turkey, President Trump was secretly whisked away to another military aircraft, hidden inside a food truck, following intelligence regarding a “credible security threat” to his official plane.
According to a *Washington Post* report from Monday, Trump publicly boarded Air Force One last month in Ankara amidst a media presence. Subsequently, he and a few key aides boarded a catering truck positioned near the aircraft’s door.
*The New York Times* reported that Trump was transferred from the food truck—which was connected to the lower section of the aircraft—into a car. From there, he was taken to a smaller C-32A military jet.
Citing unnamed officials, both newspapers reported that Trump and some close aides traveled to the Mildenhall Air Force Base in Britain on this military jet. There, they boarded a plane gifted by Qatar to continue the next leg of the journey back to the United States.
Meanwhile, other officials and journalists aboard Air Force One arrived in Britain on the original aircraft and rejoined Trump for the subsequent part of the trip; they were unaware that Trump had switched planes.
Journalists on board the aircraft recounted being instructed to keep the window shades closed during the flight.
The White House has neither confirmed nor denied these reports. However, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung indicated that there were security challenges during the President’s trip, necessitating special arrangements.
He stated, “As the President has recently said, America has many enemies who wish to target him, and we utilize every resource at our disposal to counter those threats.”
A similar incident occurred while returning from the NATO summit in Ankara on July 8.
Trump was using a plane gifted by Qatar for the trip to Ankara—an aircraft whose lavish and luxurious amenities he frequently praised. However, the Secret Service and other security agencies believed that the hasty technical modifications made to the plane did not provide the same level of security as the older Air Force One aircraft.
Consequently, Trump was transferred to the older Air Force One, and the Qatari plane was sent to Britain. He was subsequently transported in a military jet.
Trump had claimed that he sent the Qatari plane to Britain because US military personnel stationed there wanted to see the aircraft.
However, reports suggest the real reason was “credible threats” that security agencies had become aware of. It was reported that the Qatari plane lacked the anti-missile defense systems and special wiring to protect against electromagnetic attacks that are standard on the older Air Force One aircraft.
It appears that the Secret Service and other security officials later concluded that even the older Air Force One was not sufficiently secure. Therefore, the decision was made to secretly transport Trump in a military jet—a variant of the Boeing 757 that lacks the opulent amenities Trump is known to favor.
When *The New York Times* published a report citing officials regarding the security flaws of the Qatari-gifted plane, the US Department of Justice issued subpoenas to the reporters and their relatives—and even to a journalist’s mother—demanding access to their phones. Defending these unusual subpoenas, officials stated that the aim was to identify individuals who had leaked confidential information—actions they claimed had jeopardized national security. The subpoenas were subsequently withdrawn following mounting criticism.
The allegations regarding the information leak indirectly validated the very security concerns that Trump and officials had previously denied in earlier reports.
Trump stated that the aircraft is being taken out of service to undergo extensive technical upgrades.
Both the existing Air Force One aircraft and the plane provided by Qatar—which is slated to serve as a future Air Force One—are different variants of the Boeing 747.
