President Donald Trump confirmed early Wednesday that he avoided using his original Air Force One aircraft on the return flight from Turkey, stating he acted on advice from the Secret Service and the military. 'I do what the Secret Service and the military say, they wanted me to change planes,' Trump said, as reported by N12's Asaf Rozentzweig.
President Donald Trump confirmed early Wednesday that he avoided using his original Air Force One aircraft on the return flight from Turkey, stating he acted on advice from the Secret Service and the military. 'I do what the Secret Service and the military say, they wanted me to change planes,' Trump said, as reported by N12's Asaf Rozentzweig. This marks the first direct on-record confirmation from Trump himself regarding the incident, following earlier reports Tuesday evening that first revealed the security breach.
The story first emerged Tuesday, Aug 11 at 20:25 Jerusalem, when The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli intelligence about an Iranian plan to use shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles against Air Force One prompted the secret diversion. Shortly after, Channel 14 reported that Trump was evacuated by a catering truck and transferred to an alternate military aircraft. Later that same evening, Trump acknowledged the threat in general terms, saying he 'guess[es] there was a threat out there' and that he followed Secret Service and military advice. He further expressed distrust of Iran and stated that Iran would have targeted his original plane due to the higher risk it posed. The White House had already confirmed on July 25 that a credible Iranian missile threat forced the plane change, according to an i24NEWS report covered by The Zioneer.
The incident took place during Trump's visit to Turkey earlier this month, a trip that also generated significant diplomatic developments. As The Zioneer reported, Trump signaled support during the visit for the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and moved to lift CAATSA sanctions, marking a strategic shift in U.S.-Turkey defense relations.
While Trump has now personally confirmed that a security threat prompted the plane change, the full operational details — including the specific timing and nature of the intelligence that led to the last-minute diversion — remain based on media reports that have not been officially elaborated by the White House. The level of the Iranian threat and whether any further security measures were taken for the alternative aircraft also have not been formally disclosed.
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