Ankara/Washington DC: US President Donald Trump was secretly moved from the Air Force One to a smaller military aircraft with the aid of an airport catering truck and flown out of Turkey last month, post the NATO Summit. This covert and secret travel was undertaken after intelligence agencies hinted threat to Trump’s life owing to the assassination plot by Iran.
This extraordinary and dramatic security operation reportedly turned the Presidential jet carrying journalists and White House staff into a decoy aircraft while Trump’s actual whereabouts were concealed for hours, amid escalating West Asia conflict.
#TheWorldReport with @NewshoundArjun | Raw Footage: Secret Service Smuggles Trump Out Of Air Force One In Catering Truck To Escape Iran Plot! pic.twitter.com/yAHGa45d8d
— NDTV World (@NDTVWorld) August 11, 2026
How the covert operation unfolded to conceal President Trump?
This covert operation unfolded on July 8, following the NATO summit in Ankara, as tensions between Washington and Tehran was spiralling. Trump had travelled to Turkey aboard a newer Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar, but security concerns reportedly prompted officials to devise an elaborate & secret deception for his departure.
Trump publicly boarded the older blue-and-white Boeing 747 and waved for the television cameras and journalists. The public impression was that he would fly aboard the same aircraft to Britain. However, minutes after boarding and once the cameras were shut, Trump was secretly transferred to an Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 aircraft, generally used to transport senior US officials.
Trump was secretly evacuated from the NATO summit in Turkey due to an Iranian assassination threat, according to The Washington Post.
After boarding Air Force One in full view of cameras, he was discreetly transferred to a military C-32A using a catering truck. Journalists and… pic.twitter.com/3TsE5To0eA
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 11, 2026
Catering truck used in the secret Trump transfer operation
According to sources, Trump and several aides were moved from the legacy Air Force One to Air Force C-32A using an airport catering truck. The vehicle’s elevated container could reach the aircraft door directly, allowing the President to leave the jumbo jet without being seen by reporters or cameras.
The truck then travelled to the nearby C-32A, where Trump boarded the smaller military aircraft. The operation was reportedly designed to prevent anyone outside a small circle of officials from determining which aircraft was actually carrying the President. The Air Force One subsequently departed with journalists and some White House personnel still aboard, effectively serving as a decoy.
The C-32A, meanwhile, flew to Britain under the call sign “Reach 18”, rather than the publicly recognisable Air Force One designation. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was also reported to have travelled with Trump aboard the smaller aircraft.
White House defends the security measure as Trump’s location was concealed
The operation also raised fresh questions about the security of the newer Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar, which Trump had used to travel to Turkey. The aircraft had reportedly undergone upgrades but lacked some defensive countermeasures available on the legacy Presidential aircraft.
The White House had publicly maintained that Trump left Turkey aboard the former Air Force One. However, Trump himself had said he would use the older aircraft “for old time’s sake” while travelling to Britain. After the reported revelation, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the security arrangements without directly addressing the aircraft switch.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Cheung said, adding that the administration uses “every tool” available to counter threats against Trump.
The sudden switch of the Presidential aircraft raises particlura question and scrutiny as the original Air Force One was used as a Presidential decoy and certain journalists and White House staff were deliberately left aboard an aircraft that was not carrying the President. Was Washington DC costing the lives of other officials and keeping thier security at stake to conceal the identity of Trump and protect the President?
