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Turkey swap, Iran tensions
President Donald Trump flew partway home from a NATO summit in Turkey on an older Air Force One instead of the newly retrofitted Qatari-gifted plane he arrived in, as the U.S. and Iran once again began trading strikes.
“Secret Service urged Trump to depart Turkey on old Air Force One as a security precaution, sources say Trump told reporters the switch had nothing to do with security concerns”
ABC News reported that the Secret Service urged Trump to depart Turkey on the old Air Force One “as a security precaution,” and said the switch was influenced by differences in the plane security capabilities rather than a specific threat.
Trump told reporters in Turkey that the switch had “nothing to do with security concerns,” while also reiterating that he is “No. 1 on the kill list for Iran.”
The Qatari-gifted plane left the NATO summit in Turkey earlier in the day for Mildenhall Air Force Base in England, and ABC News said flight data showed the plane carrying the president did not turn on its tracker until it was over the Black Sea near Istanbul.
After the swap, Trump boarded the new jet at RAF Mildenhall and it promptly took off for Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, where he greeted service members and said they were “very excited.”
Cheung: misdirection
White House communications director Steven Cheung defended the decision, telling reporters that “we use every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats.”
The Hill reported that Cheung said the new Air Force One “has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” after reports emerged that Trump switched to the older model “out of an abundance of caution.”
Trump, meanwhile, sidestepped questions about whether Iran drove the change, saying “I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran,” and the Guardian reported a similar exchange in which a reporter asked him to address speculation about security concerns involving Iran.
During the flight from Turkey to the U.K., NPR said reporters were told to keep their window blinds closed, and Trump replied that it probably was due to the “sleazebags over here.”
ABC News added that passengers on the old Air Force One were instructed to keep their windows down during the flight, and it said Trump suggested the request may have been because they were “probably on a dangerous flight.”
Security questions and costs
The episode intensified scrutiny of the Qatari-gifted aircraft’s defensive capabilities, with NPR noting that images captured since its unveiling show it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets.
“Topline President Donald Trump briefly ditched the new gifted Qatari VIP jet to fly from Ankara, Turkey, to the U”
ABC News said the change in plans was influenced in part by differences in the plane security capabilities, and it reported that many details of the retrofitting on the new plane are considered classified.
ABC News also reported that the Air Force estimated it would cost less than $400 million to retrofit the gift, while Forbes said the retrofitting was fast-tracked and raised concerns it lacks the proper defense systems.
Forbes reported that retired CIA officer and MS NOW security analyst Marc Polymeropoulos tweeted that “Secret Service as USAF pleas must have won out, over Trump’s vanity project,” and said the plane is “just not ready for prime time overseas.”
The Hill described the political stakes as Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran “over” at the NATO summit and the U.S. renewed strikes on Iran after Iran was accused of striking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, keeping the Air Force One security debate tied to the broader escalation.
