Trump says he switched planes after Nato summit because of possible threat
The president says the Secret Service wanted him to go on a different flight after the Nato summit in Turkey.
President Donald Trump has verified that he covertly changed planes last month upon departing a NATO summit in Turkey, citing a potential threat.
"I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane," Trump informed reporters on Tuesday. "I just have to do what they say."
This disclosure follows reports that on July 8, Trump was seen by television cameras boarding Air Force One, only to then be transferred to a military aircraft with the aid of a catering truck.
The last-minute alteration has prompted inquiries regarding the safety of those on the decoy plane, but Trump asserted on Tuesday that the military jet he ultimately boarded was at "greater risk."
Officials conveyed to the BBC's US partner CBS News that the US had detected a credible Iranian threat involving a missile strike on the plane.
Journalists and some White House personnel on board were unaware that the US president had been discreetly removed as part of an elaborate deception in response to a possible Iranian threat.
Trump had previously stated during the summit in Ankara that he was Iran's "number one target."
The clandestine operation last month occurred a day after the US resumed military strikes on Iran, following a collapse in negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the conflict.
Trump had arrived in Turkey on a newer Boeing 747-8, a gift from Qatar, but declared his intention to depart on the older Air Force One "for old time's sake."
Footage from July 8 showed him boarding the presidential jet at Ankara airport.
However, as reported by the Washington Post, he discreetly exited Air Force One onto a catering truck that had been raised to plane level on the side opposite his boarding point.
He was then secretly transported to a smaller C-32A military aircraft, which is a modified Boeing 757 frequently utilized by the vice-president.
According to the newspaper, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the C-32A separately using external stairs, in an effort to maintain the appearance of a normal flight.
Journalists and some White House staff boarded Air Force One and were reportedly instructed to close their window shades. They were unaware that the president was no longer on board.