President Donald Trump reportedly took part in an elaborate scheme to conceal his travel from Turkey to the United Kingdom last month, being ferried in a food catering truck and a military aircraft, according to the Washington Post, amid threats against him from Iran.
The covert mission, the Post reported, was executed without the awareness of the traveling press corps and even certain White House officials aboard the decoy flight, all while the White House was publicly stating that Trump was on the original Air Force One.
ABC News has not independently verified the specifics of the story.
In a statement to ABC News responding to the Post’s reporting, the White House said, “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 to address those threats.”
The president was observed boarding the aircraft on July 8, but according to the Post, once aboard, Trump was moved into a catering cart typically used for transporting food and beverages.
Trump publicly declared at the time that he would not be traveling on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet, explaining that he was dispatching it to a base in the UK so military personnel could tour the aircraft.
ABC News reported at the time that Trump had been advised against using the plane due to security worries amid escalating tensions with Iran.
Secret Service urged Trump to use old Air Force One as a security precaution, sources say
On the flight that was thought to be carrying Trump, journalists aboard were instructed that the window shades needed to remain closed for the duration of the trip and that this was a requirement from the Secret Service. Air Force One, even though the president was not on it, had its transponder switched off, according to the Post.
Trump was spotted in the U.K. coming down the stairs of the original aircraft in order to transfer to the Qatari-gifted jet. It remains unclear how he subsequently returned to the plane.
Once on board the new Air Force One and headed back to the U.S., Trump spoke with reporters and responded “no, no” when questioned about any security issues connected to the plane swap.
When asked about the reason for closing the window blinds on the plane, Trump said, despite his earlier denial of security concerns: “Well, yeah, because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with.”