Trump used military plane to leave Turkey due to Iran threat- Washington Post

Investing.com -- President Donald Trump departed Turkey on a secret military flight last month while the White House announced he was flying on Air Force One, according to a Washington Post report published Monday. The operation was in response to a potential assassination threat from Iran, the report said. Trump traveled to Ankara for a NATO summit on the newly renovated Qatari-donated presidential jet. He unexpectedly used an older Air Force One model when leaving the country, which raised questions about the newer aircraft's security. The NATO trip marked the first international travel for the new plane. The aircraft's rapid upgrades had prompted questions about cost and security. The trip occurred as tensions with Iran, which shares a border with Turkey, increased. Before leaving Ankara, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane "for old time's sake" to fly to RAF Mildenhall in Britain. He said the new plane would stop at the same base to allow U.S. service members to tour the aircraft. After Trump boarded the old Air Force One in front of cameras in Ankara, he was secretly moved by an airport catering truck to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, the Post reported. The newspaper cited a U.S. official familiar with the operation and reviewed corroborating material. A credible threat to Trump prompted the deception operation, according to the Post. A similar operation occurred in 2000 when President Bill Clinton used an unmarked executive jet to fly into Pakistan while sending his formal Air Force One as a decoy.