On July 8, 2025, as he returned from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, US President Donald Trump secretly transferred from Air Force One to a smaller government C-32A jet to avoid a credible shoulder-fired missile threat, officials said [1, 2, 3]. The switch was concealed by using a catering truck to hide the smaller plane, with Trump traveling with a small group of aides aboard the C-32A while senior officials, staff, and journalists remained on the original Air Force One, which departed separately [1, 2, 3].
US officials expressed alarm that Iranian operatives had obtained detailed intelligence on Trump's hotel location and even the exact floor he was occupying during the visit [1, 3]. Iranian state media seized on the plane switch, broadcasting it as a scandal fueled by fear of Iran’s military power. A presenter declared, "Again, Trump, with his new scandal, has become the top subject in the U.S. media these days. A scandal stemming from fear of Iran’s military power, a power that caused Trump... to secretly switch his plane" [1].
Iran’s embassy in South Africa posted mocking memes on X (formerly Twitter), ridiculing Trump’s secret move. One post warned he would soon be “hidden in a trash can” and contrasted Trump’s retreat with the fate of an Iranian martyr, saying, "The one they claimed was hiding in a bunker was martyred in his office. Yet the one who boasted about his massive warships and advanced B-2 bombers ended up fleeing in a food truck" [1, 3].
Tensions remain high given Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s pledge of vengeance for his predecessor’s death, which underpinned some of the security concerns surrounding the trip [1]. It remains unclear whether senior officials remaining on Air Force One—including key cabinet members like Secretary of State Rubio or Treasury Secretary Bassett—were aware of Trump’s secret transfer [2]. The White House did not respond to requests for comment on the situation [1].
The covert plane switch during the Ankara trip on July 8, 2025, remains the latest sign of heightened US concerns over Iranian threats against senior leaders abroad [1, 2, 3].
