Trump Air Force One Swap: Why Trump Ditched the New Air Force One in Turkey Revealed

During a recent NATO summit in Turkey, Donald Trump changed his aircraft after U.S. officials detected a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces targeting him. Initially arriving on a newly donated Qatari Boeing 747-8, Trump opted to leave on the older Air Force One due to safety concerns.

Donald Trump swapped aircraft before leaving Turkey earlier this month after American officials picked up on a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces aimed at him and his plane, according to reporting from the New York Times. The alarm was raised while Trump was in Ankara for the NATO summit. He had flown into the country on the newly donated Qatari Boeing 747-8, a jet Trump himself has admitted lacks the same level of protective technology found on the older, long-serving Air Force One.

Sources who spoke to the New York Times on condition of anonymity said that once officials became aware of the threat, the Secret Service pushed for Trump to leave the country on a different plane. Trump agreed, announcing that he would fly out on the older Air Force One rather than the Qatari jet he’d arrived on.

The fresh details help clear up why the switch happened so fast, and they underline the security worries that have followed the donated aircraft since Trump pressed to get it into service quickly.

Notably, officials do not believe the threat was aimed at the new plane specifically. Instead, intelligence pointed to Trump personally being the target, regardless of which aircraft he happened to be flying on at the time.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.