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Catering-truck plane swap
President Donald Trump was secretly transported from the former Air Force One in a catering truck after the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, amid concerns about his safety tied to Iran, according to The Washington Post as described by Orlando Weekly.
“shortly after Trump waved to cameras as he ascended the older Air Force One, he was secretly taken to the back of a catering truck”
Orlando Weekly says Trump was taken to the back of a catering truck and shuttled to a nearby smaller Air Force C-32A plane, while journalists and White House officials remained on the decoy flight from Turkey to eastern England under the impression that Trump was aboard.
The report adds that Trump later descended the stairs in front of cameras after arriving at the Royal Air Force base in Mildenhall in eastern England, and that he told reporters, "Well, yeah, because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with," referring to Iran.
Orlando Weekly also reports that the old Air Force One touched down at Mildenhall Air Force Base at 10:16 p.m. local time and that Trump descended the stairs at 10:56 p.m. local time, before the plane was off the ground at 11:14 p.m. according to official July 8 pool reports.
Threat, ruse, and response
Mehr News Agency frames the episode as part of a broader shift in the Iran-US equation, saying the US security apparatus assessed the potential threat as so serious that it resorted to deception and aircraft modification to relocate the president.
Mehr News Agency also links the move to a credible threat that a shoulder-launched missile might be used against Trump's plane, and it says Trump acknowledged the incident while trying to downplay its significance.
In Orlando Weekly’s account of Trump’s remarks, he denied security concerns and said the new jet was sent early to the U.K., while he also told reporters, "I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list, before you."
Orlando Weekly further reports that the Secret Service did not respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment, while the Pentagon referred States Newsroom to the White House, which did not respond for comment.
Criticism and political fallout
The controversy around the catering-truck evacuation centers on the fact that press and some White House staff were used as decoys without their consent, with El Español saying politicians and the press called for explanations after the operation used "press and senior White House officials as decoys without their consent."
“Politicians and the press are calling for explanations for an operation that used the press and senior White House officials as decoys without their consent.”
El Español reports that the Secret Service reported a "credible" Iranian attack threat against the American president, forcing Trump and his entourage to abandon the new plane they had received as a gift from Qatar and to use the old Air Force One.
The Times of India says Iranian state media mocked the secret aircraft switch, with a presenter on Iranian state television describing it as a new "scandal" for Trump and portraying it as humiliation for the US president.
The Times of India also reports that Iranian state media said Iranian operatives knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the floor of his hotel, and it adds that Tehran has not officially commented on those allegations or the aircraft switch.
