President Donald Trump secretly boarded a third, smaller U.S.military aircraft using an airport catering truck as cover to depart the NATO summit in Turkey in July while using an older Air Force One jet as a decoy, according to reports.Citing an official and other material it reviewed, The Washington Post reported that the undercover maneuver took place at Ankara airport amid a credible Iranian threat against the president.Trump had arrived in the Turkish capital on July 8 aboard a brand-new Boeing 747-8, an aircraft donated by Qatar.Following U.S.
military strikes against Iranian targets earlier in the summer, intelligence officials identified a specific threat from Iran targeting the president's movements.TRUMP TAKES INAUGURAL FLIGHT ABOARD NEW AIR FORCE ONE AHEAD OF LIBRARY DEBUT HONORING FAMED OUTDOORSMANPresident Donald Trump steps off Air Force One upon arrival at John F.Kennedy International Airport in New York, New York on July 17, 2026.
(Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)To counter the threat, U.S.security officials executed a ruse on the Turkish tarmac, according to the outlet.Trump walked up the stairs of the legacy blue-and-white Boeing 747 — the older Air Force One — and waved to news cameras before entering the cabin.Minutes later, Trump and a small team of aides were said to have stepped out of view into an airport catering truck that had been lifted to an exit door on the far side of the plane.TRUMP SAYS HE'S IRAN'S 'NO.
1' TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARSPresident Donald Trump greets security forces members at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, Britain, after arriving to switch to the Qatari-gifted Air Force One following his participation in a NATO leaders summit in Turkey, July 8, 2026.(Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)The truck lowered to ground level and drove across the tarmac to a nearby Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757.Meanwhile, the media and White House staff boarded the older 747, believing Trump was inside.Reporters were...