Pro-Iranian Proxies Planned to Down Trump’s Air Force One, Prompting Last-Minute Plane Switch

According to a report by the New York Times citing informed sources, pro-Iranian proxy groups planned to attempt to shoot down U.S. President Donald Trump’s presidential aircraft, Air Force One, during his return from the NATO summit in Ankara two weeks ago. Due to this threat, Trump switched planes at the last moment on his way back from Turkey.

Trump had flown to Ankara on the new Air Force One jet, gifted by Qatar, but for the first leg of the return flight from Turkey to the United Kingdom, he used the older presidential plane while the new jet flew empty. Initially, the White House stated the reason was to allow U.S. troops at the British base to tour the new aircraft. However, it later emerged that the new plane was not yet fully equipped with all necessary defense systems, leading to the decision to avoid risk by using the older, more secure aircraft for the president and his team.

This revelation adds to ongoing concerns about threats to U.S. officials from Iran-linked actors. The report also notes that Trump met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the summit, with discussions reportedly including potential arms deals such as supplying F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.