Secret Service recommendation said behind Trump’s use of older Air Force One out of Turkey

After US President Donald Trump unexpectedly left Turkey last night aboard an older Air Force One rather than the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet that brought him there, The New York Times reports that this was done at the recommendation of the US Secret Service as a security precaution.

Trump later boarded the new plane in Britain for the flight to Washington.

The trip to Turkey for the NATO summit, the first international travel for the new plane, took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, a country that borders Turkey.

The unexpected plane switch follows months of scrutiny over the luxury gift intended to serve as a temporary replacement while Boeing struggles to deliver long-delayed next-generation Air Force One planes.

Critics have questioned the cost, security and pace of the retrofit.

Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane “for old time’s sake” to fly from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so US service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.

The new plane, with red, white, dark blue and gold livery chosen by Trump, is a Boeing 747 gifted to the United States by Qatar last year and refitted by defense contractor L3Harris Technologies.

Trump, asked in Ankara if a threat of assassination prompted his decision to change planes for his departure from Turkey, does not answer directly but acknowledges the potential threat.

“I’m number one on the kill list for Iran,” he tells reporters at a news conference as the NATO summit concludes. “I don’t know. I can’t tell you that but I don’t really care.”

The upgrades to the jet from Qatar were completed so quickly that some experts expressed concern the plane may not be as secure as the existing Air Force One aircraft.

The New York Times report says, citing unnamed sources briefed on the matter, that the plane switch was a precaution and wasn’t prompted by a concrete threat.

It cites White House Communications Director Steven Cheung as commenting that “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.”