President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he secretly switched planes as he departed a NATO summit in Turkey last month due to a potential threat. Trump stated that Secret Service and military personnel advised him to use a different flight after the summit concluded.
"I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane," Trump told reporters. "I just have to do what they say."
The revelation follows reports that Trump boarded Air Force One on July 8 before being transferred to a military aircraft. Officials informed CBS News, a US partner of the BBC, that the U.S. had detected credible intelligence indicating an Iranian threat to fire a missile at the plane.
Journalists and some White House staff traveling on the initial plane were reportedly unaware of the security maneuver, which was reportedly implemented in response to the potential Iranian threat. Trump had previously claimed to be Iran's "number one target" during the summit in Ankara.
Trump maintained that the military jet he ultimately boarded was at "greater risk" than the decoy plane. The last-minute change had raised questions about the safety of those on the alternative aircraft.