Trump hid in catering cart, left Turkey on a secret military flight amid assassination threat from Iran: Report
In a rare clandestine mission, US President Donald Trump left Turkiye on 8 July aboard an alternate military aircraft, after attending a NATO summit in
In a rare clandestine mission, US President Donald Trump left Turkiye on 8 July aboard an alternate military aircraft, after attending a NATO summit in Ankara. He was first seen boarding Air Force One, but was secretly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A via an airport catering truck, while the White House maintained he was on the presidential jet, which served as a decoy. The Washington Post reported the development on Monday (local time), adding that the mission was carried out amid an assassination threat from Iran. The threat emerged as hostilities between Washington and Tehran resumed last month, only weeks after the two sides had signed an interim ceasefire agreement in June. Citing sources familiar with the operation, the Post said the mission had not been previously disclosed and was unknown even to some White House officials. Journalists covering the trip also believed they were travelling on the same aircraft as Trump, unaware that he had been moved to a different plane. Here's how Trump flew on a secret military flight In Turkey's capital, Ankara, before cameras, Trump boarded Air Force One. However, minutes later, he was secretly transferred to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, using an airport catering truck that is usually used to load meals and other supplies before flights.
To avoid being spotted by people not involved in the operation, Trump and several aides reportedly used an airport catering truck to leave the plane. The vehicle was raised to the aircraft door using hydraulic equipment and positioned on the side opposite Air Force One's main entrance, according to a US official and other corroborating material. According to US officials, Air Force One became a "decoy", with only media personnel and some White House staff aboard the jet. Images captured by news media at the Turkish airport showed a staircase on one side of Air Force One and the catering truck on the other, with the container being elevated to the plane's level. The video showed the president arriving in a limousine, climbing the staircase and waving towards the tarmac. View full Image View full Image Catering trucks are parked at Air Force One on the tarmac as the motorcade carrying U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the tarmac to depart following the NATO summit at Ankara International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Minutes later, as the White House press corps boarded the jet, a man in a suit was seen entering the catering truck's cab.
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