United States President Donald Trump has spoken about an elaborate security operation that saw him secretly transferred from Air Force One to a smaller military aircraft while returning from last month’s NATO summit, saying he believed the manoeuvre may actually have placed him at greater risk.
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The covert switch was reportedly ordered after American intelligence and security officials received information about a possible Iranian assassination threat against the President.
Speaking on Tuesday while returning from the 2026 Patriot Games in Ohio, Trump said he agreed to the change of aircraft after being advised by the Secret Service.
“I just follow what they’d like me to do,” Trump said when asked about the operation. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, so I do it. I do what they say.”
Trump, however, played down the significance of the intelligence that prompted the extraordinary security measures, saying threats against him were not unusual.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” he said.
The President also suggested that the smaller C-32A aircraft on which he secretly travelled could have been more vulnerable than the Air Force One aircraft used as a decoy.
“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 it,” he said.
Trump had initially travelled to the summit in Turkey aboard a Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by Qatar and modified for presidential use.
Before departing Ankara, he publicly indicated that he would travel aboard an older Air Force One aircraft “for old times’ sake” and was seen boarding the plane.
However, reports subsequently disclosed that Trump was secretly removed from the aircraft as part of a carefully planned deception operation.
According to accounts of the operation, the President was covertly transferred through equipment associated with an airport catering operation before being driven to a waiting C-32A aircraft.
The transfer was reportedly carried out in a manner intended to conceal Trump’s movements from anyone monitoring the presidential delegation.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was seen prominently boarding the C-32A, reportedly helping create the impression that the aircraft was being used for a routine defence-related flight rather than carrying the President.
Meanwhile, journalists and some senior White House officials remained aboard the older Air Force One aircraft without knowing that Trump had been transferred elsewhere.
Reporters aboard the aircraft were also instructed to lower their window shades during part of the journey.
Both aircraft eventually arrived in the United Kingdom, where Trump was reportedly transferred back to the older Air Force One aircraft before being seen descending its external stairs.
He subsequently boarded the Qatari-donated 747-8 for his return journey to Washington alongside the White House press pool.
While speaking to journalists aboard the aircraft, Trump again referred to threats against his life and specifically identified Iran as a source of concern.
Asked why reporters had been instructed to lower their window shades while in Turkey, Trump said it was related to the security threats surrounding the journey.
He said he faced threats “all the time” and claimed he was “number one” on Iran’s list of potential targets.
The security operation came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and renewed concerns about Iranian threats against current and former American officials.
Iranian messaging in recent weeks has included imagery and rhetoric directed at Trump, including reports of a large banner displayed in Tehran depicting the US President beneath a red target symbol accompanied by the words, “There will be blood.”
Iranian media have also reportedly circulated threatening material involving First Lady Melania Trump and Trump’s son, Barron, including an AI-generated video highlighting locations associated with the First Lady.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung had previously acknowledged that the administration sometimes employed deception as part of efforts to protect the President.
“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 — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats,” Cheung said.
His remarks appeared to confirm that presidential security officials regarded the threat environment as sufficiently serious to justify extraordinary precautions.
The White House has, however, rejected suggestions that Trump’s Qatari-donated aircraft itself posed a security risk.
Cheung said the aircraft had been equipped with high-level security systems required to protect the President and his staff.
The White House similarly maintained that the aircraft was secure and equipped with advanced technology necessary for presidential missions.
The US Air Force also said presidential security, safety and communications requirements had not been compromised during modifications to the aircraft.
Trump’s latest remarks provide his first detailed public reaction to the unusual operation, with the President maintaining that he followed the advice of his security detail even though he personally believed the aircraft selected to conceal his movements might have been the more obvious target.
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