In early July, U.S. President Trump was reported to have returned from a NATO summit in Turkey without using the new "Air Force One" aircraft donated by Qatar and modified for the flight. Instead, he flew back using the older aircraft, continuing his journey until he reboarded the new aircraft at the RAF Mildenhall in the UK before returning to Washington D.C.
Regarding the reasons for the replacement, The New York Times initially reported that this action was requested by the US Secret Service, as the new aircraft did not have some of the safety features of the old one. The newspaper reporter who disclosed this information was sued.
On July 24 local time, the American media further stated that the change of aircraft was due to the US finding a assassination threat from ‘Iranian proxy forces’. The intelligence available to the US did not indicate that ‘Iranian proxy forces’ specifically targeted the new aircraft, but rather aimed at Trump himself and any aircraft he was on at the time.
According to reports, this specific threat information was not widely circulated within the U.S. government before. Some officials were only informed that the aircraft replacement was a routine preventive measure in response to the situation in Iran. Key members of Congress also did not receive any specialized briefing on this matter.
The White House did not comment on this matter. However, a senior US official who wished to remain anonymous said that Trump had made public statements regarding the Iranian “ assassination threats ” and expressed confidence in the president’s security measures.
During Trump's stay in Ankara, the US military resumed its operations against Iran. The new special aircraft provided by Qatar was not equipped with certain missile detection and countermeasures systems, which raised security concerns among the outside world.
Trump previously denied that the transfer to another aircraft was related to safety issues. He said on social media, "At the request of the entire Mildenholt Air Base," the new aircraft flew to the base to "show" to military personnel. The White House also issued a statement denying any safety defects in the new aircraft.
