00:00Donald Trump was reportedly smuggled off Air Force One in a catering truck last month
00:04in a dramatic security ruse designed to protect him from a potential Iranian assassination attempt.
00:10The deception operation took place as the president was flying back from a NATO summit in Turkey on July 8th.
00:17Footage from the night shows Trump boarding a former Air Force One jumbo jet
00:21through the left side door in view of cameras and news organizations.
00:25He is then reportedly shuttled minutes later into a smaller plane
00:30via an airport catering truck typically used to load food and supplies onto aircraft,
00:35according to a U.S. official who spoke to the Washington Post.
00:39At the same time, members of the press and White House officials
00:43can be seen boarding the blue Air Force One plane from the rear stairwell.
00:48Reporters on the plane were not informed that Trump would not be flying with them,
00:51turning them, along with some White House staff, into unwitting decoys.
00:56Trump is then shuttled onto a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A,
01:02which the catering truck can then be seen parking alongside.
01:06The travelling press corps on the old Air Force One model, unaware of the manoeuvre,
01:11were asked to pull down their window blinds before departure.
01:14A small group of top government officials had knowledge of the deception plan,
01:20including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Cain,
01:23the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
01:25When asked later by reporters why they needed to keep their blinds closed,
01:29Trump made a dark joke about the threat posed by Iran.
01:32Were you aware of any credible threat by Iran against Air Force One?
01:35Well, I have a threat all the time.
01:37I'm number one on their list, before you.
01:40But if I go, you go.
01:42Right?
01:42But was there a specific threat today?
01:44So perhaps someday you want to change professions.
01:47It's not clear how Trump moved back to the blue Air Force One plane after landing,
01:51but he appeared before television camera crews
01:54and descended the external stairs at around 10.56pm.
01:58Following a short stop at the Mildon Hall Royal Air Force Base in the UK,
02:04Mr. Trump then boarded his Air Force One jet,
02:06which had newly been gifted to him by Qatar,
02:09and completed his journey to Washington.
02:11Since starting a war against Iran on February 28th this year,
02:15Trump and a number of advisers have faced significant threats from Iran.
02:19In March 2026, Ali Larihani, head of Iran's National Security Council,
02:25made a veiled threat against Trump on X,
02:28posting,
02:29be careful not to get eliminated yourself.
02:32Iran has had a hit list targeting Trump
02:36and his senior administration aides for years.
Comments