President Trump disclosed that the Secret Service directed him to abandon Air Force One and switch to a different aircraft following a credible Iranian assassination threat, revealing that one of the most recognizable planes on Earth was used as a giant, flying decoy.
The incident, which Trump discussed at a press event on August 11-12, unfolded during his departure from a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey in early July. Intelligence, reportedly sourced from Israel, indicated that Iranian proxies may have been planning a shoulder-fired missile attack targeting Trump or his aircraft.
The catering truck gambit
Trump was covertly transferred out of the normal presidential departure process and loaded onto a smaller military C-32A jet, a modified Boeing 757 typically used by the vice president and other senior officials. The method of transfer: a catering truck. The president of the United States was quietly moved in a vehicle normally associated with loading chicken dinners and miniature pretzels.
Meanwhile, Air Force One, the iconic modified Boeing 747 that serves as one of the most tracked aircraft on the planet, took off carrying select staff members and members of the press corps. Everyone watching, including anyone who might have been planning an attack, saw exactly what they expected to see: the president’s plane departing on schedule.
