Trump Used 'Fake Air Force One' to Evade Assassination... Moved in Catering Vehicle

After NATO Summit, Traveled from Turkey to the UK
Pretended to Board Old Air Force One, Switched to Military Transport
"Aircraft Carrying Reporters Served as 'Bait'"

The full story behind U.S. President Donald Trump’s decoy operation using Air Force One last month to avoid an Iranian assassination threat was revealed in an exclusive report by the Washington Post (WP). During this operation, members of the press traveling with the president unknowingly became decoys to divert Iranian attention.

On July 8 (local time), catering trucks for in-flight meals were parked next to Donald Trump's presidential aircraft, Air Force One, on the runway of Ankara International Airport in Turkey. President Trump departed after concluding the NATO summit. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to the Washington Post and the New York Times (NYT) on August 10 (local time), President Trump secretly traveled to the United Kingdom using a U.S. Air Force C-32A after leaving Ankara, Turkey, where he had attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit on July 8. U.S. officials told WP that credible threats from Iran against President Trump triggered this ‘deception operation.’

At the time, President Trump boarded the blue-and-white old Air Force One and waved as reporters and cameras looked on. He also announced via his social media that, instead of the new Boeing 747-8 donated to the U.S. by Qatar, he would be “leaving Turkey on the old Air Force One for old times’ sake.”

However, just a few minutes after boarding the old Air Force One, President Trump hid inside a catering vehicle used for loading in-flight meals and exited the plane. He then transferred to the C-32A, which was waiting nearby. White House correspondents and certain staff boarded the old Air Force One unaware that President Trump had switched aircraft. The White House reportedly instructed journalists to lower the window shades as well.

The C-32A used by President Trump is a modified Boeing 757 typically used to transport senior U.S. government officials. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accompanied President Trump on the flight to the UK. To conceal the president’s location, the aircraft used the call sign ‘RCH18,’ which is typically assigned to standard military transport planes, instead of ‘Air Force One,’ which denotes the president’s presence. The position-tracking system for the plane was also said to have been disabled.

Meanwhile, the old presidential aircraft carrying reporters and White House staff continued to use the ‘Air Force One’ call sign in flight, even though President Trump was not on board. The WP pointed out that, in effect, this plane served as bait to divert Iranian attention.

The C-32A carrying President Trump landed first at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the UK, followed by the old Air Force One a few minutes later. Afterward, President Trump descended the stairs of the same plane in front of the press, as if he had traveled on that aircraft. The White House also released photographs on social media, stating that President Trump “arrived in the UK on the old Air Force One.” Later, both the president and the press corps boarded the new Air Force One, donated by Qatar, and returned to Washington, D.C.

Even after boarding the new Air Force One, President Trump did not reveal the deception operation to the press. When asked why reporters were told to lower the window shades, he replied, “It must have been because we were on a dangerous flight due to some of the garbage people we have to deal with.” He also told reporters that he was Iran’s number-one assassination target and remarked, “If I die, wouldn’t you also die? Maybe someday you’ll want to change jobs.”

According to WP, this operation concealed President Trump’s actual location for several hours, not only from the American public but also from many high-ranking officials. Even the reporters who believed they were accompanying the president ended up inaccurately reporting his location. The NYT noted, “It is rare for a U.S. president to travel without the designated White House press corps nearby or for reporters to be unaware even of the president’s approximate location.”

The White House did not specifically confirm details about this operation, according to WP. However, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung simply stated, “Many of America’s enemies are targeting the president,” and added, “We use every means at our disposal to respond to such threats.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.