Donald Trump is said to have carried out a carefully planned plane switch after leaving a NATO summit in Turkey last month, stepping off the recently refurbished, Qatari-gifted 747-8 he arrived on and taking an older aircraft instead, saying he picked it “for old time’s sake.”
According to The New York Times, that change of aircraft was reportedly part of a broader deception strategy intended to reduce the risk of a possible Iranian assassination plot.
People briefed on the operation told the newspaper that Trump was secretly moved into a food container attached beneath the plane, then taken away in an airport catering vehicle normally used to load supplies onto Air Force One before later being transferred to a smaller military aircraft, a C-32A.
Officials said the maneuver was arranged to make it harder for anyone targeting Trump while he was in Ankara. The extraordinary security measure came after U.S. intelligence officials identified a specific threat from Iran targeting the president’s movements, following U.S. military strikes against Iranian targets earlier in the summer.
The Washington Post reportedly obtained footage that appears to show a suited man entering the cab of the truck, while a container is loaded and then driven away after having been raised to the level of the aircraft doors for several minutes.
Reporters traveling on the plane they believed the president was using were instructed to close their window shades, and that aircraft was even given the “Air Force One” call sign during the flight despite Trump not being on board.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also reportedly got onto the decoy C-32A separately by external stairs, seemingly to help the trip appear ordinary.
That aircraft used the call sign “Reach 18,” which is commonly assigned to transport flights carrying personnel and equipment.
After landing in the UK, Trump reportedly transferred back to the original jet for the rest of the trip home, where he later spoke to reporters about the precautions.
Speaking to the press pool at the time, Trump said the shade order was issued “because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with”, adding that he faces a “threat all the time” on his life and remains “number one” on Iran’s “list.”
The report comes after claims that a banner in Tehran’s Tajrish Square showed Trump’s face inside a blood-red bullseye next to the words “There will be blood”, based on photos obtained by the Daily Mail. Iranian state media has also reportedly shared an AI-generated video that references First Lady Melania Trump’s movements.
The Iranian assassination threats against Trump trace back to his 2020 decision as president to order a drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In November 2024, the Department of Justice charged an Iranian man who prosecutors said was tasked with surveilling and killing Trump to avenge Soleimani’s death. In 2024, during the presidential campaign, U.S. intelligence indicated there was a credible Iranian threat to assassinate Trump, prompting the Secret Service to increase his security protection.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung had previously told The Times that officials use “every tool at our disposal – including distraction and misdirection” to shield the president from threats.