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WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump departed on a secret military flight from Turkey last month when the White House said he was flying aboard Air Force One, an extraordinary move prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Trump had taken the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet to Ankara for the NATO summit. The trip to NATO was the first international travel for the new plane, whose speedy upgrades triggered questions over its cost and security, and took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, which borders Turkey.
He unexpectedly used the older Air Force One craft when departing the country, a move that prompted questions about the newer plane's security. It was later reported he did this due to a real concern of an attempt by Iran to assassinate him.
But the new report said the president didn't use the old 747 either.
Before departing Ankara, Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane "for old time's sake" to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so US service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.
After Trump boarded the old Air Force One in front of cameras in Ankara, he was secretly shuttled by an airport catering truck to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, the Post reported, citing a US official familiar with the operation and corroborating material it reviewed.
The report did not specify the nature of the specific threat from Iran that led to the extra precautions and the secret plane swap. The New York Times and CBS News reported last month that intelligence officials had raised concerns about a potential attack on the president or his jet, triggering additional precautions and the decision not to use the newly inaugurated aircraft gifted to Trump by Qatar for the first leg of his trip home from Ankara.
The deception operation was triggered by a credible threat to Trump, the Post reported. A similar operation had taken place in 2000, when then-president Bill Clinton used an unmarked executive jet to fly into Pakistan while sending his formal Air Force One as decoy.
On this occasion, the journalists who thought they were traveling with Trump on the older Air Force One, which was effectively used as a decoy, reported being advised to keep their window shades closed in the press cabin.
The Post said aside from reporters, some White House staff also believed that the president was on board.
When asked later by reporters why they had to keep their shades shut during the flight, Trump said it was because they were "probably on a dangerous flight." He went onto say: “But if I go, you go. Right?"
The C-32A carrying Trump flew to Britain and arrived at around 10:20 p.m. while the older Air Force One and media arrived minutes later, the Post reported. It was not clear, the paper said, how Trump was moved from the C-32A back to the older Air Force One.
Trump's traveling press pool reported he climbed down the stairs of the older Air Force One at 10:56 p.m. UK local time.
He gave press a peace sign but didn't walk over to talk to them. He then spent some time greeting service members before walking to the new, Qatar-donated plane.
When asked for comment on the revelation of a secret flight on a third plane, the White House provided a statement from Communications Director Steve Cheung saying the Qatari-donated jet 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," Cheung said. It was the same statement provided to the Post.
The US Secret Service declined to comment. The Air Force, which maintains the fleet of executive travel aircraft, referred questions to the White House.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The new plane, with red, white, dark blue and gold livery chosen by Trump, is a Boeing 747 gifted to the United States by Qatar last year and refitted by defense contractor L3Harris Technologies. It was intended to serve as a temporary placement while Boeing struggled to deliver long-delayed next-generation Air Force One planes.
The Post report on clandestinely putting Trump on a third aircraft and quietly whisking him out of the country adds a fresh layer to just how seriously concerned US security officials were about the threat against Trump during the ongoing war with Iran.
Paul Eckloff, a former special agent with the Secret Service, said such an unusual move could either reflect actionable intelligence or an abundance of caution given volatility in the region with the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
“I would not say unprecedented, but it is an unusual occurrence,” Eckloff told The Associated Press.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called for a congressional investigation.
“It is unprecedented and it is surreal,” he said Monday on CNN, calling the incident “downright scary.”
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