Fact Check: Did Obama once leave his wife and daughters on Air Force One due to death threats?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following President Donald Trump’s secret escape from Turkey over assassination threats from Iran, a rumor began circulating on social media platforms claiming that former President Barack Obama once faced a similar threat, forcing him to leave his wife and daughters on Air Force One. The claim has sparked questions about its authenticity.
Claim: Barack Obama once left his family aboard Air Force One due to threats
The claim surfaced as a post on Facebook, alleging that Obama once left his wife, Michelle Obama, and daughters Malia Obama and Sasha Obama on Air Force One and shifted to a smaller plane due to threats against his life.
The claim cites a declassified CIA file according to which Obama once departed his official flight via a service entrance at Joint Base Andrews while his family remained aboard the aircraft.
According to the article that accompanied the post, the incident occurred in 2014 during a domestic trip to Chicago, which did not appear in the official White House logs.
Fact Check: The claim originated from a parody account
The claim, however, is false, as there is no evidence of Obama leaving behind his family aboard Air Force One due to credible threats. There are also no such declassified CIA documents that revealed a secret operation following death threats.
There are no credible reports by prominent news media outlets about the claim, which would not go unreported given Trump’s recent escape from Turkey following threats from Iran.
Moreover, the post and the article that accompanied it came from a satirical Facebook account called ‘America’s Last Line Of Defense,’ which describes itself in the bio as ‘Nothing on this page is real.’
Donald Trump moved from Air Force One in Turkey
The claim surfaced after security personnel in Turkey moved Trump from an aircraft presented as Air Force One to a smaller aircraft, while journalists travelling with him remained aboard the original aircraft unaware of the president’s absence.
The operation involved a catering truck at the airport being used to move the president without drawing attention to his departure.
“Well, yeah, because you're, you know, probably dangerous, because of the sleeves bags that we have to deal with,” Trump said when asked about the security concerns.
“Oh, I have a threat all the time. I'm number one on their list, before you. But if I go, you go, right? So perhaps, perhaps I may want to change professions. If I go, you go,” he said.
