Secret Service Urged Trump to Switch Air Force One After NATO Summit in Turkey

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 jet he arrived in, with the swap coming as the U.S. and Iran once again began trading strikes.

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Trump offered little clarity on the change, saying he would fly on the legacy aircraft "for old time's sake," and he indicated that both aircraft would make a previously unscheduled stop at Royal Air Force Mildenhall.

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NPR reported the travel switch raised fresh security questions about the new aircraft that the U.S. spent $400 million to retrofit, and it said images of the Qatari-gifted jet showed it was not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the older jets.

During the flight, Trump denied to reporters accompanying him that security concerns involving Iran were a factor, and he said, "I have a threat all the time. I'm No. 1 on their list."

The White House said the swap was deliberate security strategy, with communications director Steven Cheung telling reporters that the move was part of a broader approach calling it "distraction and misdirection" amid what Trump described as elevated threats against him.

Cheung insisted the new Air Force One donated by Qatar remains "state-of-the-art," and the New York Post reported the White House framed the switch as a strategic "distraction" to keep the commander-in-chief safe.

ABC News

ABC News said the Secret Service urged Trump to depart Turkey on the old Air Force One as a security precaution, and it quoted Mike Centrella saying the law enforcement agency "simply doesn’t take chances when it comes to the president’s safety, whether at home or abroad."

ABC News also reported that when asked why passengers were instructed to keep their window blinds closed, Trump said it was probably due to the "sleaze bags that we have to deal with," referring to Iran.

Newser reported that experts, including Pentagon officials, estimated that fully upgrading the new plane would cost around $1 billion and take two years to complete, while it said the aircraft ended up entering service after less than a year with officials estimating the cost at below $400 million.

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Forbes added that the Air Force spent less than $400 million on security upgrades to the plane, and it said the jet was intended to serve as a "bridge" aircraft used temporarily by Trump while Boeing builds two new custom planes that are years behind schedule.

The Guardian reported that Trump first announced the change in a Truth Social post, saying that "to honor our brave men and women of the Military, we are sending the brand new" Air Force One to Mildenhall so service members could tour it.

In the same coverage, the Guardian quoted Trump responding to questions about speculation over Iranian security concerns by saying, "I’m No 1 on the kill list for Iran," and it described the episode as coming after Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran was over as the U.S. launched strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets.