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President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed reports that he switched aircraft while departing Turkey last month, saying his security team wanted him off Air Force One even though he believed the replacement plane may have been "at greater risk."
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the Secret Service and military advised him to take a different aircraft for the return journey from the NATO Summit in Ankara. He said he followed their recommendation and was not told specific details about any threat.
"They wanted me to go on a different flight and different plane; equal safety but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say," Trump said. When asked why it was considered unsafe to remain on Air Force One, he replied: "I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk."
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Trump's comments came after a Washington Post report said he appeared to depart Ankara aboard the older Air Force One but was discreetly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A hidden inside a catering truck. The larger aircraft then continued to Britain as a decoy, according to the newspaper, which cited a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president's travel.
The reported security maneuver followed Trump's trip aboard the newer aircraft donated by Qatar and came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. Iran shares a border with Turkey, and the Post reported that security concerns played a role in the decision to alter the president's travel arrangements.
Appearing on CNN with Kaitlan Collins, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal reacted strongly to the report, describing the circumstances surrounding the purported plane switch as “downright scary.” He called it "unprecedented" and "surreal" while adding that the war in Iran has made the president, U.S. troops, Persian Gulf allies and the world less safe.
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"We need to know more probably about this threat," Blumenthal added. When asked by Collins if he wants a congressional briefing about the president reportedly switching planes, he said, "There has to be a congressional briefing, because it involves not just the safety of the president. I want to know what precautions were taken to make sure that all of the passengers on that Air Force One, which was judged too dangerous for the president to fly on, what precautions were taken to keep the staff and reporters on that plane safe."
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Monday night or comment.
What To Know
Blumenthal's comments underscore the broader concern in Washington that the public may not have been aware of just how serious the security assessment could have been. The report that the president’s travel arrangements were concealed adds another layer of likely concern as lawmakers consider what intelligence or threats may have prompted the extraordinary precautions.
According to a pool report, journalists traveling with the president aboard the older Air Force One were also asked to close their window shades, the Post says.
The reported episode also renews questions about the security of the newer Air Force One aircraft. The White House has maintained that the newer aircraft has extensive security protections, but the decision to move Trump to another plane suggests that presidential security officials were taking no chances amid the reported threat.
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David Axelrod, former adviser to former President Barack Obama, told Collins on Monday night in part that it is "stunning" to think about the people used sort of as "a decoy" and "not told that the president wasn't on board and that the deception was continued even after he safely returned to Washington." Axelrod said it is hard for him to understand.
Scott Jennings, former adviser to ex-President George W. Bush, said to Collins that this is "highly unusual," but said "it sounds to me like the threat was unusual."
For lawmakers such as Blumenthal, the key issue now is understanding what happened behind the scenes and why the reported threat was considered serious enough to warrant such an unusual operation. A reported presidential aircraft switch conducted in secret, with another plane continuing publicly as a potential decoy, seems to highlight the extraordinary security challenges facing the president during a period of heightened conflict with Iran. It also leaves Congress with questions about what intelligence officials knew, when they knew it and whether additional briefings are necessary.
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DOD Revoked Former Air Force Secretary's Eligibility for Access to Classified Information
The Department of Defense (DOD) announced that former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s eligibility for access to classified information had been revoked, along with his ability to hold any sensitive position, due to an alleged unauthorized disclosure of information regarding Air Force One to a media outlet.
The announcement, shared by Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell last week in a post to X, said: "Safeguarding classified information is a non-negotiable duty. Those who violate that trust forfeit the privilege of access and any role requiring it."
Kendall told CNN on Monday that he was "mystified" trying to think of anything he ever shared that was classified. He added that he has been critical of the current administration and that he is not one of the leakers, adding that "I don't know anything about that airplane."
"I'm mystified about why they did this," Kendall said in part. He added that he plans to sue and that he found out this happened to him in the X post.
Kendall was also asked about the Post's report about Trump switching planes and he said he did not want to get anywhere near that, particularly under the current circumstances.
Update, 08/12/2026, 6:20 a.m. ET: This article and the headline were updated with additional information.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins and Daniel Orton.
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