The exchange took place after the July 8 NATO summit but was not disclosed until this week.
Published August 12, 2026
US President Donald Trump secretly swapped planes during a NATO summit in Turkiye last month, citing possible assassinations from Iran, admitting that he actually faced “greater risks” with a decoy plane.
“I owe it to the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to get on another flight, another plane,” Trump told reporters. “You have to do what they say.”
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“In fact, I think the plane I was on was at greater risk,” he added. “I think there was a greater risk because I think it’s a plane that they’re more likely to be on.”
The transition, which occurred on July 8, saw the president move between a catering truck aircraft and a military plane in Ankara, according to US media reports.
The White House said nothing publicly at the time, and the cover appeared to remain in place until the Washington Post reported it this week.
When Trump disembarked from the presidential plane, Air Force One still had journalists and aides on board, but they were still in clear danger of an Iranian attack and were unaware that the president had departed.
