'I do what they say': Trump breaks silence on secret flight swap that fooled reporters
.@POTUS: "I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane... I do what they say... I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats." pic.twitter.com/Q5SgBpU1n1
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 12, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said he secretly switched planes in Turkey after the Secret Service directed him to leave Air Force One and take another aircraft.
The move meant reporters believed they were traveling with Trump aboard Air Force One when the president had already been transferred out of view.
Trump explained the unusual flight operation on Tuesday night, August 11, on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews after reporters asked why a catering truck moved him between aircraft in Ankara.
Trump says he follows Secret Service's plan
“I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump said, explaining that the Secret Service and military wanted him on a different plane because of a threat.
Trump said the replacement aircraft offered “equal safety,” but he did not provide details about the threat that prompted the change.
“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane—equal safety—but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say,” he said.
The explanation came after reporters questioned why they had remained aboard Air Force One while Trump was moved separately to a C-32A.
President Trump says he didn't ask about threat
A reporter then asked what kind of threat had led to the secret transfer.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” Trump said.
The Washington Post reported Monday night that the plane swap came amid a “credible threat” from Iran, which shares a border with Turkey.
The switch occurred during Trump’s trip from Ankara to the United Kingdom last month, according to the newspaper.
Trump said he was not surprised that the Secret Service directed him to take the separate flight, portraying the decision as part of the security plan he follows.
Trump says his plane faced 'greater risk'
Trump also offered his own assessment of the danger surrounding the aircraft swap, saying he believed the plane he boarded was actually more exposed.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump said. “I think it was at greater risk. That would be the plane I think… that they would be more likely to go for.”
He did not explain why he believed the replacement aircraft was more likely to be targeted.
Trump then returned to the broader issue of threats against him, saying some were not known publicly.
“I have a lot of threats. I have a lot of threats that you don’t know about,” Trump said. “Any consequential president has a lot of threats. Non-consequential presidents don’t get threatened, and I think that I may be the most consequential. Nobody’s done more than me in a period of almost six years. There’s nobody.”
