President Donald Trump was reportedly transported aboard a military plane via a catering truck to return from Turkey last month, in response to an alleged Iranian assassination plot, according to a report from the Washington Post.
Previously, it was believed that Trump boarded the older Air Force One for his flight to the United Kingdom. However, the new report claims he was actually taken to an Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, without the knowledge of most individuals on Air Force One, including officials and journalists.
To maintain the deception, Trump was recorded boarding the old Air Force One in front of reporters. Shortly thereafter, he was moved into a catering truck that transported him to the C-32A.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth used the external stairs of the C-32A to create the appearance of normalcy. Reporters on Air Force One were instructed to lower their window blinds during the operation.
A U.S. official noted that this type of deception has occurred in the past, with several instances over the last 30 years where a president was secretly moved to a different plane due to serious threats, although these operations have not been publicly disclosed before.
The White House has acknowledged instances where the president was in a secret location, such as after the 9/11 attacks, but this is the first reported case of a public deception regarding the president's location.