Economy · ArchiveTrump's Secret Catering Truck Plane Swap in TurkeyAired August 11, 2026 at 12:19 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Donald Trump secretly swapped planes as0:02he left a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey0:05on 8 July in a ruse linked to a possible0:07Iranian threat. He was filmed boarding0:09the old Air Force One, then moved on the0:11opposite side of the aircraft through a0:13[music] catering truck, raised to plane0:14level to a C-32A, a modified Boeing 757.0:18While journalists and staff [music] who0:20had been ordered to lower window shades0:21stayed aboard the decoy unaware he was0:23no longer aboard. The flight then made0:25an intermediate stop at RAF Mildenhall0:27in the United Kingdom.0:30The route from Ankara to the stop in the0:32UK underscores the effort to obscure0:34which aircraft was actually carrying the0:36president. He had arrived in Turkey0:38aboard a newer Boeing 747-8 donated by0:41Qatar, but announced he would leave on0:43the old Air Force One for old time's0:44sake. That $400 million jet has spent0:47months being retrofitted to serve as Air0:49Force One. It is described as perfectly0:51safe with additional upgrades scheduled0:53for the fall lasting approximately 10:55month.1:01That was the answer given when asked why1:03reporters were told to keep window1:05shades lowered on the flight from1:06Turkey. The focus has now shifted to the1:08disclosure itself. Several New York1:10Times journalists have been summoned to1:12[music] testify under oath, and the1:13Justice Department is investigating1:15illegal leaks tied to security concerns1:17about the Qatari [music] jet. The1:19underlying account has not yet received1:21broader independent [music]1:22confirmation, leaving the secrecy1:24surrounding presidential travel and the1:26viability of the replacement Air Force1:28One unresolved while the $400 million1:31aircraft awaits another month of work.1:34For more stories that matter, like and1:36subscribe.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗