Donald Trump was reportedly moved from Air Force One to a smaller U.S. military aircraft by airport catering truck during departure from Ankara after the NATO summit, in an operation designed to reduce exposure to a credible Iranian threat. Major media outlets reported that intelligence assessments raised concern that Iran or its proxies could target the presidential aircraft with a missile, prompting the use of a decoy departure and a different aircraft for the actual flight.
The account describes a C-32A carrying Trump out of Ankara while Air Force One remained visible on the ramp as part of the deception. Journalists and some White House staff were reportedly left believing the president was still aboard the larger aircraft when he had already been transferred on the ground. The departure took place on 8 July 2026, though the story only became public on 10 August through follow-on reporting.
The episode highlights the security and operational measures sometimes used for presidential air transport, including last-minute aircraft substitution, coordinated ground handling and deliberate misdirection around an active departure. The White House had not publicly verified the full account in the reports, so the episode remains a reported description rather than an officially confirmed statement.