Trump reportedly used a catering truck to sneak off Air Force One amid Iranian threats
President Donald Trump reportedly underwent an elaborate plan to hide his flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month using a catering food truck and a military aircraft, according to the Washington Post, amid threats against him from Iran.
The secret mission, according to the Post, was carried out without the knowledge of the traveling press and even some White House officials aboard the decoy flight, all while the White House was saying Trump was aboard the old Air Force One jet.
ABC News has not confirmed the details of the story.
In a statement to ABC News regarding the Post's reporting, the White House said, "As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats."
The president was seen boarding the aircraft on July 8, but according to the Post, after boarding, Trump was transferred to a catering cart typically used to load food and beverages.
Trump publicly stated at the time that he would not be flying on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet because he was sending it to a base in the UK so service members could tour it.
ABC News reported at the time that Trump was advised not to take the plane due to security concerns amid escalations with Iran.
On the flight that was believed to be carrying Trump, reporters on board were told that the windows needed to be closed the whole flight and that it was a mandate from the Secret Service. Air Force One, despite the president not being on board, according to the Post, had its transponder turned off.
Trump was seen in the U.K. descending the stairs of the old plane to transfer to the Qatari-gifted jet. It's unclear how he got back on the plane.
Once aboard the new Air Force One en route back to the U.S., Trump spoke with reporters and said "no, no" when asked if there were any security concerns surrounding the plane swap.
When asked why they had to close their window blinds on the plane, Trump said, despite saying there was no security concern: "Well, yeah, because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with."
