Trump Secretly Fled Turkey in Catering Truck Amid Iranian Threat

President Donald Trump secretly departed Turkey on July 8, 2026, using a catering truck to sneak off Air Force One and board a separate military aircraft, according to reports from the Washington Post, The Guardian, and the New York Times. The operation was triggered by a credible threat from Iran against the president’s life, according to a U.S. official cited by the Washington Post.

The ruse occurred as the president departed the annual NATO Summit in Ankara. While journalists and some White House staff believed they were traveling with the president on an older model of Air Force One, they were serving as a decoy. Trump instead traveled on an Air Force C-32A, a smaller blue-and-white plane also emblazoned with the words United States of America, according to the Washington Post.

Catering truck used for secret transfer in Ankara

The transfer involved a coordinated effort to move the president from the decoy aircraft to the C-32A without public or media detection. According to the New York Post, Trump publicly boarded the older Air Force One before being smuggled out through a door on the opposite side of the main entrance.

A catering truck, typically used for loading food and beverages, was lifted to the aircraft door to facilitate the exit. Trump and several aides entered the container, which was then lowered to the tarmac and driven to the nearby C-32A. The truck was again elevated to allow the group to board the alternate plane surreptitiously, the New York Post reported.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth also traveled on the secret flight. However, a U.S. official told the New York Post that Hegseth boarded using external stairs to make the flight appear typical.

Decoy measures and flight logistics

The decoy flight carried the traveling press and White House staff, who were unaware the president was not on board. ABC News reported that reporters on the aircraft were ordered by the Secret Service to keep their window blinds closed for the duration of the flight. The Washington Post added that the decoy Air Force One flew with its transponder turned off.

The C-32A carrying Trump landed at Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom approximately nine minutes before the decoy plane arrived. Television cameras later showed Trump descending the stairs of the older Air Force One about 25 minutes after it landed, though it remains unclear how he moved from the C-32A back onto the decoy aircraft, according to the New York Post.

From Mildenhall, Trump flew back to the U.S. on a newer jet gifted by Qatar, which he had used to fly into Turkey. At the time of the Ankara departure, Trump had publicly stated he would not use the Qatari-gifted jet because he was sending it to a U.K. base for service members to tour.

Iranian threats and White House response

The secret operation was a response to security warnings. The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel alerted the U.S. to a potential Iranian assassination plot targeting Trump. A U.S. official told the Washington Post the threat was considered credible, though the official did not provide specific details on the nature of the plot.

The White House did not deny the report of the secret flight. In a statement to the New York Post and ABC News, White House communications director Steven Cheung focused on the security of the presidential aircraft.

Cheung stated that the latest Air Force One is a cutting-edge plane equipped with advanced security measures to protect the President and his team. He added that, as the President recently noted, there are numerous adversaries of the U.S. targeting him, and every available resource is being used to counter those risks.

When asked by reporters on the flight back to the U.S. about security concerns regarding the plane swap, Trump initially replied no, no. According to ABC News, however, when questioned about why the decoy flight’s window blinds had to stay shut, he said, Well, yeah, because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with,