TURKEY ~ It was revealed this week that the Secret Service had President Donald Trump secretly switch planes last month when leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, done so as a ploy to obscure which aircraft he was flying in due to a potential threat from Iran.
First reported by the Washington Post, the president was secretly transported in a catering truck when it was time for him to leave, then left in a military aircraft while Air Force One launched as a decoy. Trump would later reboard Air Force One in Britain.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump appeared to downplay the unusual incident. He said that the call to switch planes was “only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do,” and said that he thought the plane he flew away on “was at greater risk.”
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” Trump said.
The president initially flew into Ankara in the newly gifted Air Force One plane he received from Qatar, but the Air Force One that left the summit was an older model. This was reportedly used due to security concerns.
