President Donald Trump reportedly utilized an elaborate security measure, including a catering food truck and a military aircraft, to conceal his flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month amid threats from Iran, according to The Washington Post.
The operation, detailed by The Post, was allegedly conducted without the knowledge of traveling press or some White House officials who were aboard a decoy flight. During this time, the White House maintained that Trump was on the older Air Force One jet.
In response to the reporting, the White House stated, "As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats."
According to The Post, Trump boarded the aircraft on July 8. Subsequently, he was transferred to a catering cart, commonly used for loading food and beverages, before moving to a different aircraft. The president had publicly stated that he would not be flying on the Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar, as he intended to send it to a UK base for service members to tour.
At the time of the flight, ABC News reported that Trump had been advised against taking the plane due to security concerns stemming from escalating tensions with Iran. Reporters on the flight believed to be carrying Trump were instructed to keep their window blinds closed for the entire duration, a directive reportedly mandated by the Secret Service. The transponder on Air Force One was allegedly turned off, even though the president was not on board.
Trump was later seen in the United Kingdom descending the stairs of the older plane to transfer to the Qatari-gifted jet. It remains unclear how he rejoined the plane for the return journey.
Speaking to reporters on the flight back to the U.S. aboard the new Air Force One, Trump denied facing any security concerns when asked if he had encountered any. When questioned about why the window blinds had to be closed, Trump responded, "Well, yeah, because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with."