Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey after Israeli warning of Iranian missile threat

The deception operation

On July 8, the final day of the NATO Leaders' Summit in Ankara, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he would not fly home aboard the new presidential plane, a gift from Qatar, claiming he had sent it ahead to Mildenhall Air Force Base in England for servicemembers to tour. Instead, Trump boarded Air Force One before cameras, then secretly exited through a catering container placed alongside the jet. A truck carried him across the airport to a smaller, nondescript C-32A military aircraft, which flew him to a refueling stop in Britain. Air Force One departed separately as a decoy, carrying senior administration officials, White House staff, and the traveling press corps, most of whom were unaware the president was not on board. The Washington Post first reported details on August 11.

Trump confirmed the switch on Tuesday, telling reporters he acted at the direction of the Secret Service. He suggested the smaller plane may have been at greater risk, without providing evidence.

I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk. I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.

The intelligence dispute

Israel shared intelligence with the United States about a possible Iranian missile threat targeting Air Force One, according to a person briefed on the matter who spoke to NPR. The warning prompted the Secret Service to devise the deception plan. However, CIA officers assessed the intelligence as not convincing, the Washington Post reported, citing current and former US officials. The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had gathered information about Iranian proxies discussing killing Trump during his stay in Turkey, but the information was vague and not deemed fully credible by many of Trump's staff.

Some US intelligence officials suspected that Israel was less sharing a genuine threat warning than attempting to influence US policy in the region, the Washington Post reported. The United States subsequently collected its own intelligence about the scenario in which Iranian operatives could fire a shoulder-fired missile at Trump's aircraft on departure from Ankara. Despite doubts, the Secret Service chose not to take any risks and proceeded with the deception maneuver.

Who was where

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flew on the decoy Air Force One, according to AP and the New York Times, and both knew the president was on a separate aircraft. Other White House officials aboard the decoy included Stephen Miller and Monica Crowley, among others. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth joined Trump in the catering container, along with Trump's assistant Natalie Harp, who manages his social media accounts, CBS reported.

The New York Times reported that US officials were alarmed to discover that Iranians knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the exact floor of his hotel. The threat may have involved a heat-seeking missile that homes in on hot aircraft engines, said Douglas Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, who identified the Iranian SA-67 and the Russian-made 9K333 Verba as possible weapons.

Iran's response

Iran has not officially commented on the allegations or the airplane switch. Iranian state television called the episode a source of "humiliation" for Trump.

Again, Trump, with his new scandal, has become the top subject in the U.S. media these days. A scandal stemming from fear of Iran's military power, a power that caused Trump, last month, while returning from Turkey, to secretly switch his plane.

Iran's embassy in South Africa posted on X that Trump "will be hidden in a trash can before long," accompanied by a meme showing Trump inside a catering box. The new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last month pledged vengeance for the death of his father and predecessor, who was killed on the first day of the war.