A White House spokesman said President Donald Trump’s decision to switch from the newly retrofitted Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar to the older presidential aircraft during his overseas trip was a deliberate security measure.
“The new aircraft is a state-of-the-art plane that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Recommended Stories
“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats,” Cheung added.
Trump departed the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, aboard one of the older presidential aircraft on Wednesday for Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom, despite having flown to Turkey aboard the newly retrofitted Boeing 747 gifted by the Qatari government. The newer aircraft then flew separately to the U.K. without the president before Trump boarded it for the trans-Atlantic flight back to Joint Base Andrews.
Despite Cheung’s claim that the jet switch-up was a misdirection, Trump announced ahead of time on Truth Social he would fly the older plane to the U.K. “for old times’ sake.”
Later, when asked whether he had avoided flying the newer aircraft because of potential threats from Iran, Trump sidestepped the question while emphasizing that he remains a top target of Iran, which borders Turkey.
“I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran,” Trump said. “There was another list that came out yesterday, and I’m No. 1 on it. I like being No. 1 on TikTok better, but I’m No. 1 on the list for killing.”
Reports on Wednesday suggested the newly retrofitted aircraft lacked some of the missile detection and defensive countermeasure systems installed on the older presidential aircraft, possibly making it more vulnerable while operating near Iranian airspace.
TRUMP SAYS IRAN CEASEFIRE IS ‘OVER’: THEY’RE SCUM. THEY’RE SICK PEOPLE’
Even as he highlighted threats against his life, Trump reiterated at the NATO summit that Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“The U.S. has already effectively obtained Iran’s enriched uranium because it’s so far underground, nobody’s going to be able to get it except us because we have the equipment that can get it,” Trump told reporters.
