Viral video appears to capture secret Trump swap as catering truck ferries him to military jet

WASHINGTON, DC: A newly circulating video appears to offer a rare glimpse into the unusual airport maneuver reportedly used to move President Donald Trump from Air Force One to a military jet in Turkey last month.

The footage, captured on July 8, shows a catering truck positioned beside the presidential aircraft before later driving toward another plane nearby.

The striking sequence has renewed interest in the reported operation, which was carried out without journalists aboard Air Force One being told what was happening.

Trump's alleged airplane swap caught on cam

The video begins with a catering truck pulled up alongside Air Force One at Ankara airport on July 8.

Its large service platform is raised toward the aircraft, creating a visual barrier between the presidential plane and the surrounding tarmac.

From the camera’s position, whatever is happening on the other side of the truck is largely hidden. The truck eventually moves away from Air Force One.

That is when the footage takes an unexpected turn.

Instead of simply leaving the area, the vehicle travels across the airport toward a C-32A military aircraft. 

By the time it moves across the tarmac, the loading platform has been lowered. The footage does not show Trump entering the vehicle, nor does it establish who may have been inside.

But the timing has attracted attention because it closely resembles details previously reported about Trump’s departure from Turkey.

Trump's decoy operation in Turkey

Trump was reportedly moved while reporters remained aboard Air Force One.

The Washington Post previously reported that Trump was taken from Air Force One and transported to a military C-32A, which then carried him toward the United Kingdom.

The reported switch happened after Trump had spent the day in Ankara during the NATO summit and repeatedly spoke of assassination threat by Iran.

Earlier, he had said the older Air Force One would remain in Turkey while the newer aircraft donated by Qatar traveled ahead to Britain.

Trump publicly offered a straightforward explanation for sending the newer aircraft ahead.

“I sent it ahead so the soldiers can see it, because it’s truly magnificent,” he said at a news conference in Ankara. But the reported transfer that followed was anything but straightforward.

Journalists traveling aboard Air Force One were reportedly told to keep their window shades closed at the request of the Secret Service. 

The newly circulated footage now provides an unusual visual piece of that sequence.