President cites troop tour as reason for aircraft change
President Donald Trump departed Ankara, Turkey, at 8:45 p.m. local time Wednesday aboard an older Boeing VC-25A, one of the aircraft that has served as Air Force One for more than three decades, according to United Press International. He landed at Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall in Suffolk, Britain, at 10:16 p.m. local time, where he deplaned and boarded the newly renovated Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, which departed for the United States at 11:14 p.m.
The change came at the conclusion of a two-day NATO summit in Ankara. Speaking with reporters aboard the new jet, Trump said the aircraft had been sent to the British base early so troops stationed there could inspect it. He referenced a photograph of the jet at RAF Mildenhall with hundreds of people gathered before it, which he had posted to his Truth Social account.
When asked whether a security concern caused the change, Trump said, “No, no, why would there be?”
Earlier Wednesday, during a press conference, Trump described himself as the top assassination target of Iran, which shares a border with Turkey. Asked directly whether threats against his life prompted the travel change, the president did not answer directly, instead reiterating, “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran.” When pressed again on why he was not flying on the new jet, he replied the aircraft was being sent to Europe “so the soldiers can see it because it’s truly magnificent.”
The Qatari-gifted jet, valued at $400 million, has drawn criticism since its donation became public in May. Critics, including Democrats and some Republicans, have described the gift as amounting to bribery and a foreign influence campaign, according to UPI. Others have raised concerns about the cost and the ability to transform the luxury aircraft into a secure presidential transport.
Trump first flew on the refurbished plane earlier this month to North Dakota, where he visited the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora ahead of its opening on the Fourth of July.