President Donald Trump's departure from a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in July involved a complex security maneuver where he was reportedly covertly transferred via an airport catering truck to a smaller military jet, using the larger Air Force One as a decoy. This tactic marks an escalation of previously employed methods designed to disguise presidential travel.
The strategy of using decoys and obscuring movements has roots in Trump's presidency, dating back to a surprise Christmas trip to U.S. troops in Iraq on Dec. 26, 2018. During that visit, Air Force One's windows were darkened and its military call sign was altered in an attempt to conceal its presence. However, the operation was reportedly compromised when a British plane spotter identified the aircraft. This led to more elaborate measures in subsequent years.
For a surprise Thanksgiving trip to Afghanistan in November 2019, the White House reportedly parked one presidential 747 conspicuously in Florida while Trump secretly traveled on another aircraft. This created the impression that Trump was still in Florida while he was en route to visit troops overseas.
The July incident in Ankara, according to reports, involved Trump publicly boarding the traditional blue-and-white Air Force One. He then reportedly exited through a different door and entered an airport catering truck, which then drove him to a waiting Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757. The larger presidential jet departed with journalists and some White House staff aboard, maintaining the appearance that Trump was traveling with them. The C-32A carrying Trump reportedly used a nondescript designation, "RCH18," while the decoy 747 maintained the "AF1" call sign.
Trump has spoken publicly about his belief in the effectiveness of these tactics. "They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety – but they wanted me to do it, so I do it," Trump told reporters. He also suggested that the decoy plane might have been at greater risk, stating, "I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for."
The White House has not directly confirmed the specifics of the operation, with a spokesperson stating that the administration uses all available means to confront threats against the president. The Secret Service declined to comment on the operation.
The elaborate decoy was reportedly put in motion after intelligence indicated a specific threat from Iran against the president or his aircraft. Trump himself alluded to ongoing threats, telling reporters, "I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list."
Prior to the Ankara flight, Trump announced he would use the "former Air Force One" for part of his journey home, while a newer Boeing 747-8 provided by Qatar would fly ahead to RAF Mildenhall in Britain. Cameras captured Trump boarding the older jet before he reportedly entered the catering truck out of sight and transferred to the C-32A. He later appeared to switch back to the larger aircraft before descending its stairs in Britain, preserving the illusion of his continuous presence on the original plane.
This strategy of using a decoy aircraft and concealing presidential movements has precedent. Reports indicate President Bill Clinton also used a decoy during a high-risk trip to Pakistan in 2000, sending a visible presidential aircraft ahead while arriving on an unmarked jet. However, in that instance, at least one member of the traveling press corps was reportedly privately briefed on the deception beforehand, a detail that contrasts with the Ankara operation where journalists aboard the decoy aircraft were unaware of the switch.