Trump secretly moved out of Türkiye in catering truck amid Iran threat
US President Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
It turned out that US President Donald Trump left Türkiye after the NATO summit as part of a secret operation rather than according to protocol. Instead of taking the usual plane, he was secretly transferred in a catering truck to another military aircraft, The Washington Post reports.
According to the media outlet, Trump initially appeared in front of television cameras near an old Boeing 747 that had previously been used as Air Force One. However, shortly afterward, he was transferred to another aircraft, a US Air Force C-32A.
Thus, the old Air Force One effectively became a decoy aircraft for journalists and some administration staff.
Why the White House changed the departure plan
According to The Washington Post's sources, the decision to carry out such an operation was linked to concerns about a possible Iranian attack on the president or his aircraft.
Earlier, US media reported that intelligence had received information about a specific threat of an attack on Trump or his aircraft.
The situation escalated after the United States resumed military strikes on Iran following the collapse of negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the months-long conflict.
Türkiye, where the NATO summit was held, is strategically important to the United States and borders Iran, which further influenced the risk assessment.
What is known about the secret operation
According to the media outlet, in Türkiye, Trump was initially put aboard an old blue-and-white Boeing 747 that had been used by US presidents for many years.
A few minutes later, he was discreetly transferred to a smaller C-32A military aircraft. For this purpose, according to the newspaper's sources, an airport catering truck, normally used to deliver food and supplies before flights, was used.
A US official familiar with the operation said that the old Air Force One was used as a "decoy" in this way.
Not only Trump, but Clinton as well
The media outlet notes that US presidents have previously used measures to conceal their routes due to security threats.
For example, in 2000, during Bill Clinton's visit to Pakistan, the president left on one aircraft, while the main Air Force One was used to mislead observers.
Former acting US Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said that details of the president's movements should remain hidden if necessary for his protection.
Context of the event
On July 7-8, a NATO summit was held in Ankara, attended by leaders of the Alliance's member states. The presidents of Ukraine and the United States also arrived in the capital of Türkiye.
The following day, July 8, a separate meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy took place on the sidelines of the summit, with strengthening Ukraine's air defenses and obtaining licenses for Patriot production among the key issues.
At this point, Trump refuses to grant Ukraine an air defense license, although he promised to do so during the summit. The US leader says that transferring such technologies is difficult.
