Trump Secretly Swapped Planes During Turkey Departure Due to Iran Threat
21 sources across 11 countries
Who reported this
- G1
- UOL
- CNN Brasil
- Folha de S.Paulo
- MS NOW
- CNN
- Al-Monitor
- Associated Press
- Infobae
- La Nacion
- Der Spiegel
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- The Times of Israel
- The Jerusalem Post
- The Guardian
- Reuters
- The Daily Star
- Le Monde
- South China Morning Post
- Telex
- Aftenposten
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
President Donald Trump secretly departed Turkey on a military aircraft last month following a NATO summit in Ankara, according to reports from the Washington Post and the New York Times. The operation was triggered by a credible assassination threat from Iran. While the White House officially stated that the president was traveling aboard an older Air Force One, he was actually transported via an airport catering truck to a smaller C-32A military plane. This maneuver effectively turned the older Air Force One into a decoy, carrying members of the press and some White House staff who believed the president was on board. Journalists on the decoy flight reported being told to keep their window shades closed during the trip. Trump later told reporters the shades were closed because they were probably on a dangerous flight, adding that if he goes, they go too. The C-32A arrived in the United Kingdom around 10:20 p.m. while the decoy plane arrived minutes later. Trump was subsequently seen disembarking from the older Air Force One at 10:56 p.m. local time, though it remains unclear how he transferred from the C-32A back to the larger jet. The president had flown into Turkey using a new Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar, but the decision to switch aircraft for the return leg raised questions about the security of the new plane. White House Communications Director Steve Cheung stated that the Qatari-donated jet is equipped with high level security protocols and that the administration uses every tool available to address threats from enemies of America. Similar tactics were reportedly used in 2000 when President Bill Clinton used an unmarked jet for a trip to Pakistan while using Air Force One as a decoy.
How each side framed it
- Left
- These outlets framed the event as an elaborate ruse and emphasized the underlying tension of the ongoing war with Iran.
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the secrecy of the operation and the use of the decoy plane to mislead staff and press.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the operational details of the secret flight and the official White House response.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the credible nature of the Iranian threat and the security concerns surrounding the Qatari-gifted aircraft.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: The Washington Post: Trump was "smuggled" out of Turkey
- Centre Al-Monitor: Trump took secret flight out of Turkey due to Iran threat, the Washington Post reports
- Centre Associated Press: Trump used elaborate ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat, report says - AP News
- Centre-left CNN: Trump secretly transferred planes in Turkey amid security concerns, reports say
- Centre-left CNN: WaPo: How Trump secretly switched planes using catering truck
- Centre-left CNN: WAPO: Trump secretly switched planes using catering truck
- Centre CNN Brasil: Trump took secret flight in military jet due to Iran threat, says newspaper
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Murder threat from Iran: Donald Trump said to have secretly switched to military aircraft in Ankara
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: An elaborate stratagem: Trump secretly used a military jet to leave Turkey amid threats
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: After NATO summit: Trump apparently secretly smuggled out of Air Force One in catering container
- Centre-left G1: Trump was hidden in truck and made secret flight due to threat from Iran, says newspaper
- Centre-right Infobae: An aerial monitor on X gave the key clue of Trump's secret flight from Turkey
- Centre-right La Nacion: They reveal that Trump left Turkey on a secret flight due to an assassination threat from Iran
- Centre-left Le Monde: Donald Trump reportedly left the NATO summit in Turkey in July aboard a secret plane due to threats from Iran
- Left MS NOW: Trump used ruse to fly out of Turkey following summit because of Iran threat, report says
- Centre Reuters: Trump took secret flight out of Turkey due to Iran threat, the Washington Post reports - Reuters
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: How US staged Air Force One departure to hide Trump’s secret exit from Turkey
- Centre Telex: Trump was smuggled off the presidential plane in an airport food delivery truck when he left the NATO summit in Ankara
- Centre The Daily Star: Trump took secret flight out of Turkey due to Iran threat, the Washington Post reports
- Centre-left The Guardian: Trump hid in catering cart to board secret flight in Turkey amid Iran threat – reports
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: Iranian assassination threat prompted secret Trump transportation switch - report
- Centre The Times of Israel: Report: Trump left Turkey last month on smaller plane, not old Air Force One, due to Iranian threat
- Centre-left UOL: An elaborate stratagem: Trump secretly used a military jet to leave Turkey amid threats
- Centre-left UOL: Trump changed planes in secret after Nato summit due to Iranian threats, says newspaper
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.