Donald Trump has broken his silence after it was revealed he was secretly smuggled off Air Force One in a catering truck before departing Turkey last month. Speaking outside Joint Base Andrews, the US president told reporters: 'It’s up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane. Equal safety. But they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say.'
Secret Service Swaps Planes Amid Iran Threat
The last-minute switch was prompted by reports of a potential assassination plot from Iran. Trump was bundled into an alternative military plane and flown out following the Nato summit in Ankara. The White House press corps and even some senior aides on board Air Force One fell for the ruse, believing Trump was with them on the journey back to Washington.
Several reports last month claimed intelligence sources had flagged concerns about a potential attack on the president or his plane. While Trump was in Turkey, the US carried out a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant shipping in the region.
Trump Warns He Is Iran's 'Number One Target'
In early July, Trump warned he may be assassinated by Iran, describing himself as the regime's 'number one target'. Speaking at a news conference at the end of the Nato summit in Turkey – shortly before being moved to a different plane – Trump said: 'Iran had leaders, they’re gone. And they had another set of leaders; they’re gone. Now they have another set of leaders. They may be gone. Who knows? And you know what? I may be gone too, because I’m their number one target. It’s out all over the place. I’m their number one because they’re scum. That’s the way they act, and that’s the way they’ve done it for 47 years.'
Trump had flown to the summit in a new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy-blue jet. But ahead of departing Turkey, he said he would fly partway home on an older-model baby blue Air Force One plane instead.
Ruse Deceives Press and Aides
The secret swap meant that the press corps and senior aides on Air Force One were unaware of the president's actual location, highlighting the heightened security measures in response to the alleged Iranian threat. The catering truck ruse allowed Trump to be moved discreetly, ensuring his safety during the return journey.
The incident underscores the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, following the US strikes in retaliation for attacks on merchant shipping. Trump's comments outside Joint Base Andrews reaffirm his reliance on Secret Service guidance in matters of security, even as he acknowledged the gravity of the threat.
