President Donald Trump was secreted out of Turkey at the end of a recent international trip in an elaborate ruse involving decoy jets and a catering truck − all in an effort to avoid an Iranian assassination plot, the Washington Post and New York Times reported.
In early July, Trump had flown to Turkey to attend a NATO summit aboard the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One. But once in Turkey, hostilities resumed with Iran and Trump announced that the new jet would depart for the United Kingdom and he would fly out on the older, powdered blue Air Force One.
But according to new reporting by The Washington Post, the president was not on board when it departed. Instead, Trump was secretly transported off Air Force One and moved to another military jet
to fly out of Turkey and to the United Kingdom.
The method used to conceal the president was a catering truck typically used on the tarmac to deliver food and beverages to airplanes, the Washington Post reported.Members of the White House staff and press flew aboard Air Force One unaware that Trump had taken a separate plane for his safety, the Washington Post reported, citing a review of materials, an unnamed U.S. official and another person familiar with the president's travel. The New York Times also reported the story later on Monday evening.
"We are wheels up from Ankara as of 8:43 p.m.," a White House pool reporter shared from aboard the powder blue Air Force One at the time. "We have been advised to keep our window shades in the press cabin closed. See you on the other side."
USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for comment on the ruse to leave Ankara.
Why did Trump take the secret plane?
The president’s ruse to leave Turkey came at a point where the war with Iran was escalating.
Trump on July 8 at the NATO summit in Turkey said he considered the U.S. ceasefire with Iran to be "over" and warned of powerful strikes on Iran to come. His comments came amid a renewed U.S. bombing campaign of the Islamic republic.
In leaving the Middle East, Trump took new precautions to make it back to the U.S. though the full extent of those precautions was not previously known.
Asked about Trump’s claimed move to ride aboard the baby blue former Air Force One jet, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung noted threats against the president.
"As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal— including distraction and misdirection— to address those threats," said Cheung.
What plane did Trump supposedly take?
Trump claimed to take the old Boeing 747-200 Air Force One for the first leg of his return journey to the U.S.
After arriving at the Royal Air Force Mildenhall U.S. Air Force Base in Suffolk, England, it was believed Trump and crew switched back to the new red, white and blue plane, a Boeing 747-B, which they flew across the Atlantic before landing at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington early on July 9.
According to the new reports however, Trump made the journey to England aboard a smaller Air Force C-32A. The jet had been part of the White House entourage to England and was used to fly Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth. The Trump cabinet official boarded the plane by a typical stairway outside the plane, the Post reported.
Contributing by USA TODAY White House correspondent Joey Garrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump secreted away from Turkey in catering truck ruse: Reports
