Secret Service forced Trump Nato summit plane switch
President Donald Trump switched from his new Qatari-gifted jet to the older Air Force One before leaving Turkey because U.S. officials detected a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces during the Nato summit, reports say. The trump nato summit plane change followed Secret Service advice after intelligence pointed to a possible missile strike on his aircraft.
Key Takeaways
- Trump arrived in Ankara for the Nato summit on a Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 that lacks the older Air Force One's advanced defenses.
- The Secret Service urged a plane swap after intelligence of a possible missile attack by Iranian proxy forces, according to The New York Times and CBS News.
- Officials said the threat targeted Trump, not specifically the new jet.
- Sen. Deb Fischer blocked Sen. Chuck Schumer's bid to ban taxpayer funds to further "max out" the donated aircraft.
Why did Trump change planes after the Nato summit?
According to The Guardian, citing The New York Times, Trump flew into Turkey on the new Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 for the Nato summit. He later left on the legacy Air Force One after U.S. officials judged there was a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces.
CBS News later confirmed the Times account, citing unnamed U.S. officials who said the Secret Service acted after intelligence involving a plan to fire a missile at the president's aircraft. Follow more breaking coverage in our Streaming & TV Alerts hub.
At the time, Trump offered a lighter explanation, saying he would use the older plane "for old time's sake." He also said both aircraft would make an unscheduled stop at Royal Air Force Mildenhall before returning to the United States.
How rushed was the new Air Force One retrofit?
Trump pushed to have the donated jet ready as soon as possible and has acknowledged it does not carry the same advanced defensive systems as the older Air Force One. That accelerated timeline sits at the center of fresh scrutiny after the Turkey departure.
Reporting tied to the Times account says officials did not believe Iranian proxies were specifically targeting the new 747-8. Instead, the intelligence pointed at Trump himself and whichever plane he was using.
The revelations help explain the abrupt mid-trip swap and highlight ongoing security concerns around the gifted jet.
Will taxpayers fund upgrades to max out the jet?
After Trump said the Qatar-donated plane would be "maxed out," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sought unanimous consent for the Presidential Airlift Security Act. The measure would have barred further Pentagon spending to modify an aircraft previously owned by a foreign government.
Schumer called the roughly $400 million jet anything but free, arguing taxpayers face hundreds of millions more for security upgrades and noting the Nato return flight underscored safety concerns. Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska objected, saying the proposal had already failed earlier and could also hit the Survivable Airborne Operations Center program, which she called vital for nuclear command and control.
The White House was contacted for comment on the Iran-threat reporting. Separately, the Justice Department had previously subpoenaed New York Times reporters over coverage of the jet's security risks, then dropped those efforts for now.