US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) confirmed that he switched from Air Force One to a different plane during a recent summit in Turkey due to a “threat”, saying that he does whatever Secret Service and the military advise him to do.
The confirmation from Trump came just a day after reports about how the US President switched from the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 to an older Air Force One, and then again made a secret switch to a smaller C-32A aircraft.
Last month, it was reported that Trump for an older Boeing due to an alleged threat. However, a recent Washington Post report said that the US President , having been discreetly moved out of the older Air Force One in a catering container, which then transferred him to a smaller C-32A aircraft.
Amid the absence of an official statement from the White House or Trump about the switching of planes, the US President has now confirmed the move. Speaking to reporters after returning from Ohio, the US President said, “I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane… I do what they say… I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats.”
WATCH:
Trump further said that he has several threats that the public does not know about, adding that any “consequential President has a lot of threats.”
“Non-consequential Presidents don’t get threatened, and I think I’m maybe the most consequential President.”
Regarding the threats, the US President said he doesn’t worry about anything. “Whatever it is, you know my attitude? Whatever.”
The truth about Trump’s second plane swap, however, was not made known to some officials and the media until now. At the time, they believed that Trump was still on board the older Boeing 747.
Reporters on the old plane out of Turkey were also reportedly asked to keep their window blinds down.
Several media reports, including one from the New York Times, stated that the US President was prompted to switch planes due to a ‘credible threat from Iranian proxy forces.’
The information found by the US officials revealed that while Iran’s proxy forces were not targeting the new Qatar-gifted jet specifically, they had plans to target Trump and any aircraft he might travel in, NYT reported, citing multiple sources.
The NYT report from last month mentioned only the first plane swap, about which the President reportedly said the switch was made to give American service members in Britain a chance to tour the new aircraft. He had denied any security-related reasons behind the switch.
On Tuesday, Trump also told reporters that he does not trust Iran. “I’m the last person to trust Iran. They have lied to me constantly.”
The alleged threat from Iranian proxy forces came amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has now lasted for more than five months. Tehran or any proxy force has not yet made any public remarks about Trump’s plane switch or the alleged threat.
This is a developing story. We will update with further information.
