An Iranian threat to assassinate US President Donald Trump prompted a secret security operation last month in which the president was flown from Turkey to the UK aboard an alternate military aircraft, while the White House publicly gave the impression that he was traveling on the older Air Force One, according to the Washington Post.
The covert mission, which had not previously been reported, was carried out without the knowledge of journalists and even some White House staff members, who believed they were traveling on the same aircraft as the president.
The report was based on materials reviewed by the Washington Post, as well as interviews with a US official familiar with the operation and another person familiar with the president's travel arrangements. Both spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
The administration said Trump left Turkey on July 8 aboard the older Air Force One. Trump also announced on social media that he would use the "former Air Force One," rather than the newer aircraft on which he had arrived in Turkey, a Boeing 747-8 given to the US as a gift from Qatar.
According to the report, however, Trump did not remain aboard the aircraft he was seen boarding in front of cameras.
Trump boarded Air Force One, then was secretly transferred
Trump was in Ankara for a NATO summit attended by leaders from around the world when the incident occured. The operation took place the night after US forces resumed military strikes against Iran on the president's orders, following the collapse of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
That evening, Trump boarded the older blue and white Air Force One in front of television cameras and waved goodbye. Several minutes later, according to a US official and materials reviewed by the Washington Post, he was secretly transferred to a smaller US Air Force C-32A aircraft.
The transfer was carried out using a catering truck, typically used to load food and supplies onto aircraft. The truck was raised by a hydraulic system to a door on the opposite side of Air Force One from the entrance used by Trump and the journalists.
Trump and several of his aides entered the truck, which then moved away from Air Force One and drove toward the nearby C-32A.
According to the US official, the older aircraft effectively served as a "decoy." Journalists and several White House staff members remained aboard, believing Trump was traveling with them, while the president flew to the UK on the other aircraft.
The arrangement concealed Trump's actual location for several hours, not only from the American public but also from many senior administration officials.
Iranian threat prompted the switch
The New York Times and CBS News also reported last month that intelligence officials had identified a specific threat against the president or his aircraft, leading authorities to implement additional security measures.
The US government has for years been concerned about Iranian plots targeting senior American officials, including Trump. Those concerns intensified following Washington's involvement in the killings of senior Iranian military and political officials.
Turkey, which hosted the NATO summit and from which Trump departed, is a US ally and NATO member, but it also shares a border with Iran.
The operation took place only days after Trump began using the Boeing 747-8 received by the US from Qatar. The aircraft underwent upgrades costing hundreds of millions of dollars and entered Air Force service in July, but according to reports, it lacks some of the defensive capabilities found on the older Air Force One aircraft.
Trump initially said he had decided to fly from Turkey on the older aircraft "for old times' sake," while the aircraft received from Qatar would fly to the UK and be displayed to US troops stationed there.
According to the Washington Post, that was not what happened.
The new Air Force One received from Qatar departed Turkey first on the evening of July 8. Trump then boarded the older Air Force One in front of cameras.
Minutes later, he was secretly transferred by catering truck to the C-32A.
Photographs and videos taken at the airport in Turkey show stairs positioned on one side of Air Force One and a catering truck on the other, with its container raised to the height of the aircraft.
After members of the White House press pool boarded the older aircraft, White House staff instructed them to close the window shades.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth separately boarded the C-32A using external stairs. According to the US official, the move was intended to make the flight appear routine. Hegseth then flew with Trump to the UK aboard the same aircraft.
The C-32A is a modified Boeing 757 used to transport senior US government officials and can also carry the president or vice president.
When the president is aboard, its call sign is supposed to be "Air Force One," since the term refers not to a particular aircraft but to any US Air Force aircraft carrying the president.
On this flight, however, the generic call sign "Reach 18," or "RCH18," was used, according to a person involved in the mission and additional materials reviewed by the Washington Post.
The aviation tracking outlet Thenewarea51 identified the C-32A arriving in the UK under the same designation and reported that systems allowing the aircraft to be easily tracked while in flight had been turned off.
Meanwhile, the older aircraft carrying White House staff and journalists appeared on radar en route to the UK. Although Trump was not aboard, it used the Air Force One call sign "AF1" during the flight.
According to flight tracking data, the aircraft received from Qatar landed at RAF Mildenhall in the UK at 6:26 p.m., using the call sign "SAM 33."
Videos posted online showed that the C-32A, which according to the report was carrying Trump, landed several hours later, at around 10:20 p.m. The older Air Force One landed around nine minutes later, at approximately 10:29 p.m.
It remains unclear exactly how Trump was transferred from the C-32A back to the older aircraft after landing.
Shortly afterward, however, the president appeared in front of television cameras descending the stairs of the older Air Force One at around 10:56 p.m., creating the impression that he had arrived in the UK aboard the same aircraft he had been seen boarding in Turkey.
The White House also published a post that night stating that Trump had landed at the British base "aboard the former Air Force One," accompanied by a photograph of the aircraft.
After greeting US service members, Trump boarded the new Air Force One received from Qatar at around 11:01 p.m. for the flight back to Washington. White House staff and members of the press then transferred to the aircraft from the older plane.
White House: "We use every tool at our disposal"
The Washington Post presented the White House with details of its investigation and a series of questions.
In response, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung issued a statement defending the aircraft received from Qatar.
"The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft equipped with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff," Cheung said. "As the president recently said, there are many enemies of America who have set their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats."
A Pentagon spokesperson referred questions to the White House, while the Secret Service did not respond to a request for comment.
The White House also released a statement from the Air Force regarding the safety of the new aircraft: "The aircraft is safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission."
The statement added: "No risks were taken with security, safety or mission communications, but the joint team made tradeoffs on some of the less frequently used mission systems that Boeing must provide to support the next 40 years."
The controversy surrounding the Qatari aircraft intensified after the New York Times reported that it lacks defensive capabilities available on the older presidential aircraft.
Following the report, the Trump administration took the unusual step of issuing subpoenas to several journalists in an effort to identify confidential sources.
Administration officials said the move was part of an investigation into a national security breach, while the New York Times accused the administration of attempting to undermine transparency and intimidate journalists and sources.
The administration later withdrew the subpoena and acknowledged that mistakes had been made in its handling of the matter.
Maariv contributed to this report.