Watch: Was Trump smuggled out of Air Force One in a catering truck?

What the report says

BBC World News reported on a US media claim that Donald Trump made a covert aircraft swap while returning from a NATO meeting in July, allegedly to reduce exposure to a threat linked to Iran. According to the report, Trump boarded Air Force One in Ankara, Turkey, on 8 July and was then moved to another plane with the assistance of a catering truck.

The Washington Post was cited as saying the switch was carried out secretly. The article said Trump was later seen leaving Air Force One in the UK before boarding a newer jet that had been gifted by Qatar for the onward trip to the United States. The BBC item framed the story as a reported security precaution rather than a confirmed presidential statement.

Trump was described as speaking with journalists during the flight back to the US, but he did not address whether he had changed aircraft. The broader significance is that the account raises questions about how US leaders are moved when facing possible security threats, and about the role of intelligence and protective arrangements in presidential travel. As presented by BBC World News, the details remain based on US media reporting rather than direct confirmation from the White House.