Post report links the flight to an Iranian assassination threat
The Washington Post’s account concerns Trump’s departure from last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, and says the president did not leave on Air Force One. The report said the White House made it appear that he was flying on Air Force One while he used an alternate military aircraft.
The Post said the arrangement followed an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The reported plan affected the travel information available to journalists and some White House staff members, who were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president during his return journey to Washington.
The Associated Press said the Post based its account on material it reviewed, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of Trump’s travel. The AP said it had not independently confirmed the report.
The aircraft details provided additional context for the reported change. Trump had flown to the summit on a new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet. Before leaving Turkey, he said he would fly partway home on an older-model baby blue Air Force One plane.
The report therefore describes both a change in the aircraft used for Trump’s departure and a public expectation about that journey that, according to the Post, did not match the plane carrying him.