US President Donald Trump said he secretly switched aircraft in Turkey last month on the instructions of the US Secret Service because of an Iranian assassination threat, but maintained that the military plane he eventually took faced a greater risk than Air Force One, Reuters reported.
Trump made the switch after a NATO summit in Ankara, transferring from Air Force One to a military aircraft via a catering truck as part of an elaborate deception.
The White House did not disclose the operation at the time, and it remained secret until media reports emerged this week.
The secret operation raised questions over whether White House aides and journalists who continued travelling aboard the aircraft presumed to be carrying Trump had been put at risk.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters.
“I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”
Trump also said the decision to change aircraft was made by the Secret Service and the military, the report said.
“Well, it’s only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military,” Trump said.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” Trump said.
The White House had said at the time that the President was travelling aboard Air Force One from Turkey to Britain. However, moments after Trump boarded the aircraft, he secretly left it via a catering truck and transferred to another military plane for the flight to Britain, according to the Washington Post report cited by Reuters.
The unusual operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat.
The episode later prompted social media memes portraying Trump as hiding in the catering truck. Trump, who often promotes memes depicting himself as a bold and courageous leader, stressed that he had followed the directions of the agency responsible for protecting the President.
Trump had travelled to Ankara for the NATO summit aboard a newly renovated, Qatari-donated jet but unexpectedly announced that he would use an older Air Force One when leaving Turkey, prompting questions about the newer aircraft’s security.
The NATO trip marked the new plane’s first international journey. Its rapid upgrades had already raised questions about cost and security.
The visit also came as hostilities with Iran were escalating. Iran shares a border with Turkey.
