Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft as he left a Nato summit in Ankara last month, in a covert manoeuvre reportedly staged in response to a credible Iranian threat to attack his plane, according to US media reports. He boarded the presidential jet in full view of cameras before being quietly transferred, via an elevated catering truck, to a smaller military aircraft, with journalists and White House staff aboard the original plane unaware he was no longer on it. The White House has not confirmed the swap, though officials told CBS News the threat had been credible, and the episode underscores heightened security concerns around Trump following renewed US strikes on Iran.

According to the Washington Post, Trump left the original Air Force One on 8 July via the truck and was taken to a C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, while Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded separately by external stairs to preserve the illusion of normality. Journalists were told to close their window shades, and it remains unclear exactly how Trump later rejoined the legacy jet, which touched down at RAF Mildenhall in the UK before he transferred again to the newer Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 for the flight home. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Trump acknowledged constant threats to his life and said he was "number one" on Iran's target list, though he did not directly address the plane swap.