US President switched aircraft in covert operation amid Iran assassination threats, report reveals.

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump was secretly flown out of Turkey last month aboard a smaller aircraft following heightened security warnings over an Iranian assassination threat, according to a report published Monday by The Washington Post.

The covert operation unfolded in Ankara on July 8 following a NATO summit. Speaking to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, a senior US official revealed that Trump initially boarded Air Force One in public view. However, once inside, the President was discreetly transferred into a specialized catering container attached to the main airliner.

The container subsequently ferried him across the tarmac to a awaiting C-32A—a smaller Boeing 757 derivative frequently used for military and executive transport—which then departed for the United Kingdom. Press corps members and several official staff members were kept under the impression that Trump remained on the primary jet throughout the journey.

According to video footage analyzed in the Post's investigation, a catering vehicle was captured lowering from the larger presidential aircraft just minutes after Trump had ascended the main airstairs. The vehicle was then filmed driving across the airfield toward the smaller C-32A jet.

Concerns surrounding the flight had surfaced earlier after Trump departed Ankara on an older Boeing 747 model rather than the newly retrofitted Boeing 747-8—a luxury aircraft gifted to the United States by Qatar's royal family last year. While Trump publicly stated at the time that the swap was made to allow US service members stationed at a British military base to tour the new jet, multiple media outlets subsequently reported that intelligence pointing to proxy threats from Iran prompted the security measure.

Flight crews instructed journalists traveling on the older 747 to keep window blinds lowered during taxiing and takeoff—a precautionary protocol standard in high-risk war zones, adding to initial speculation regarding a security incident.

The secret transfer has renewed public scrutiny regarding the defensive capabilities of the luxury Qatari airliner. Concerns have been raised that the newly modified aircraft lacks the specialized anti-missile defense systems and security hardening features present on older, fully integrated Air Force One models.

When asked about the Post report, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the fleet's defensive measures in an official statement.

"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, reiterating statements made when security questions first emerged last month. "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."

Upon arriving in the United Kingdom, Trump was seen exiting the larger Air Force One jet before heading toward the retrofitted presidential aircraft. It remains unclear how the President was transferred back to the primary airliner before making his public disembarkation, the Post noted.