The Boeing VC-25A typically serving as Air Force One in flight against a cloudy sky in March 2013. Trump’s use of that aircraft as a decoy during his exit from Turkey, even as other senior officials and journalists were on board, has come under fire this week. (Wikimedia Commons/Oren Rozen)
The CIA Didn’t Think Trump’s Air Force One Ruse Was Necessary
Ultimately, the flight from Ankara to the United Kingdom took place without incident—but Trump’s decision to depart the aircraft while leaving staffers and journalists on board has raised debate.
Some pundits have described President Donald Trump’s recent “clandestine” change of aircraft during his departure from Turkey in early July as an example of excellent spycraft. Others have suggested the move was cowardly.
Although the president flew to the NATO summit in Ankara last month aboard the new 747-8 aircraft that the government of Qatar donated to the United States, there were security concerns upon the aircraft’s departure. Accordingly, Trump announced his plan to fly out aboard the older VC-25A aircraft that had previously served as Air Force One, as it had better aerial countermeasures.
However, it was revealed earlier this week that Trump’s plan was a bait-and-switch. After the president was seen boarding the VC-25A, he surreptitiously decamped to one of the supporting aircraft, a US Air Force C-32A, via a catering truck.
The White House press pool and multiple staffers flew on to the UK believing Trump was still on board the VC-25A. Secretary of State Mario Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were among just a handful of individuals who flew on the aircraft knowing that Trump wasn’t onboard.
Since the news broke, opinion has been divided.
“President Trump outsmarted Iranian threats in Turkey by jumping in a CATERING TRUCK to swap planes when the world thought he was on the legacy Air Force One. This is a JAMES BOND-style mission,” wrote Nick Sortor, a Fox News and Newsmax commentator, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
With respect to Sortor, the fictional British MI6 secret agent who is licensed to kill may have dressed as a literal clown on one occasion, but it should be noted that he never hid in a catering truck while leaving M, Q, and Miss Moneypenny in the potential crosshairs of SPECTRE.
That could explain why many other commentators have mocked Trump across social media. A variety of memes showing the president inside an airline food cart have gone viral.
The Plane Change Wasn’t Necessary, Claims the CIA
The White House has attempted to downplay the incident. It has also justified it, noting that the US Secret Service had requested the change after it received intelligence relayed by the Israeli government of an alleged threat from Iran.
However, officials at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the premier US foreign intelligence service, had “low confidence” that there was a serious threat to the president, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday evening.
The paper of record added that the CIA had “conveyed that skepticism to Trump administration officials”—but that “the White House and the Secret Service appear to have decided they could take no chances.”
In Trump’s defense, Iran had previously vowed to kill him and other senior officials in response to his ordering of the assassination of IRGC Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. One year after the strike, it released an image showing the shadow of an Iranian drone flying over a golf course—a reference to the president’s well-known love of golf. More recently, it has abandoned any ambiguity about its intentions; in July, five months into the ongoing war, it erected a billboard in central Tehran showing Trump in a coffin.
Trump has already been the target of three known assassination attempts, so the Secret Service must take such threats seriously. Still, some Democratic lawmakers have called for answers, including why the ruse may have put White House staffers and journalists in the literal crosshairs of Iran.
“I am very curious about the extent to which the Israeli-provided intelligence was not only credible but independently verifiable,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) told The Washington Post. “I have no doubt that Iran would like to see the president gone, but this all seems a little fantastical.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.
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