Trump hidden in catering truck in secret plane swap over Iran threat, reports say

What the report says

BBC World News reported that Donald Trump was moved between aircraft in a secret handoff as he left a Nato summit in Turkey last month, with US media saying the switch was prompted by concern over a possible Iranian threat. According to the report, Trump first boarded the older Air Force One in view of cameras, then was transferred out of sight to a smaller military plane using an elevated catering truck. Journalists and some White House staff on board were not told he had left the original aircraft.

The BBC said officials told its US partner CBS News that American intelligence had detected a credible threat involving a missile attack on the plane. The White House did not confirm the account. The report also noted that Trump had earlier described himself as Iran’s top target during the summit, and that the plane change came after renewed US strikes on Iran and stalled talks between Washington and Tehran.

The article said the president later flew back toward the United States on the military aircraft and then rejoined the older presidential jet before landing in the UK, though it was not clear how that transfer happened. He later returned to Washington on the Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 that is being retrofitted as part of the Air Force One fleet. The episode underscores the security concerns surrounding presidential travel and the ongoing debate over the safety and readiness of the newer aircraft.