Trump secretly transferred to a third military plane after NATO summit in Ankara

August 11, 2026 — U.S. President Donald Trump was quietly transferred onto a third military aircraft after last month's NATO summit in Ankara and transported to RAF Mildenhall aboard an Air Force C-32A, in an operation that used a catering vehicle to move him from one plane to another amid an alleged assassination threat from Iran.

How the secret transfer was carried out

According to reviewed documents and officials briefed on the movement, the operation was designed to create the impression that the president was departing on the familiar, light-blue Air Force One while in reality a smaller military jet carried him away. The maneuver followed intelligence warnings that prompted U.S. security services to adopt additional protective measures.

Trump had arrived in Ankara on a new aircraft provided by Qatar that had been reconfigured in a red-white-dark-blue livery. Before departure, he told aides he would travel part of the return on an older, light-blue Air Force One. For television coverage he boarded that older presidential jet, but minutes later he was quietly moved into an Air Force C-32A.

The president was transferred into the C-32A using an airport catering truck, a vehicle normally used to deliver food and supplies to aircraft. That C-32A then flew him to RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. Photographers later captured images of Trump disembarking from a presidential aircraft at Mildenhall, suggesting he had re-boarded Air Force One out of sight of journalists who had believed they were traveling with him.

The White House did not directly answer questions about the operation. "As the president recently said, there are numerous enemies of America who have him in their crosshairs, and we use every available means to deal with those threats," White House Communications Director Steven Chung said.

The U.S. Secret Service declined to comment on the reported movement, and U.S. Air Force officials referred inquiries back to the White House. Other U.S. outlets reported last month that intelligence agencies had warned of a potential attack on the president or his aircraft, prompting the extra security measures and the decision not to use the Qatar-provided aircraft for the first leg of the trip.

Pol Eklof, a former Secret Service special agent, described the maneuver as "unusual." "I wouldn't say it's unprecedented, but it's an unusual case," Eklof said, noting that such steps can reflect either specific intelligence or exceptionally high caution amid regional tensions.

After a brief stop at Mildenhall, Trump boarded the newer Air Force One and continued back to Washington. When asked aboard the plane whether there had been a credible threat from Iran against Air Force One, Trump replied: "Well, I'm under threat all the time. I'm number one on their list, ahead of you. But if I am harmed, you will be harmed too."

Photo: press material from the event