Donald Trump said he was secretly moved from Air Force One to another aircraft after officials received what he described as a threat to his life, confirming a report that the US president was taken off the plane aboard a catering truck.
“They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane – equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it,” Mr Trump told reporters, adding: “I do what they say.”
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it,” he said.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that Mr Trump was covertly removed from Air Force One before it left Turkey, while journalists and senior aides stayed aboard the aircraft and appeared to remain exposed to the risk of an Iranian attack.
Several members of the travelling press said they were angry at being used unknowingly as decoys. Others accused the White House of withholding information and misleading them about the president’s whereabouts.
Donald Trump said: ‘I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk’
Mr Trump initially boarded the presidential aircraft in front of cameras and photographers. AFP images showed supply containers positioned at both the front and rear of the plane.
He reportedly later climbed into one of those containers and was transported to a smaller US Air Force aircraft waiting nearby.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Mr Trump told reporters.
“Because that would be the plane I think that – that they would be more likely to go for,” he said.
Roughly a dozen journalists were travelling in a separate section of Air Force One and had no access to the president. They did not know about the aircraft change and left Turkey aboard the plane despite the apparent Iranian threat, as Iran remained at war with the United States.
“Any consequential president has a lot of threats,” Mr Trump said, dismissing concerns about the operation.
“I don’t worry about anything, to be honest. Whatever it is, you know my attitude: Whatever,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had warned US officials about the possibility of a shoulder-fired missile attack against Air Force One. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was among the senior officials and staff who reportedly remained on board.
At a stopover in Britain, he returned to the Qatar-gifted plane for the flight to Washington
Reports filed by pool journalists aboard the aircraft said the Secret Service ordered passengers to keep the window shades closed during takeoff, an unusual precaution beyond an active combat zone.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday called on Congress to receive a briefing “on the Iranian threats against the president, the extraordinary measures taken to get him out of Turkey”.
The security concerns added another layer of controversy to Mr Trump’s NATO summit trip, which began with his arrival aboard a luxury Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar and modified for presidential use.
The aircraft reportedly lacked anti-missile protection, prompting officials to bring the older Air Force One into service.
Mr Trump had said at the time that the replacement plane was being sent ahead so US troops in Britain could tour it as a special treat.
During a stopover in Britain, he rejoined the Qatar-gifted aircraft for the journey to Washington.
When asked why reporters had been told to lower the window blinds, he said: “Because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with.”
“If I go, you go. Right?” Mr Trump told reporters.
Presidential aircraft switches have been used before. In 2000, Bill Clinton changed planes at the last moment while travelling from India to Pakistan, with a decoy aircraft carrying Secret Service agents.
Joe Biden’s 2023 trip to Ukraine was likewise protected by intense secrecy during an extended journey involving both a plane and a train, although a reporter and photographer travelled with him.
