US President Donald Trump secretly switched from Air Force One to a C-32A military aircraft in Turkey on 10/8, after leaving a NATO summit. The clandestine move, reportedly involving a catering truck at a Turkish airport, was aimed at mitigating assassination risks and serving as a precaution against potential Iranian attacks, according to informed sources cited by US media.

On 8/7, President Trump had arrived in Turkey on a new Boeing 747-8, a gift from Qatar to the US, modified into the VC-25B Presidential Air Transport. However, before his departure that evening, he expressed a desire to use the older Air Force One, callsign VC-25A, for "nostalgic reasons", a statement officially confirmed by the White House. Following the secret switch on 10/8, the VC-25A, carrying White House officials, security and support staff, and reporters, departed Turkey. This flight served as a deliberate diversion, while Trump proceeded on the C-32A. Upon arriving in England, he then boarded the new Air Force One for his return to the US.

The Pentagon and the US Secret Service have refrained from commenting on reports of Trump's secret plane switch in Turkey. White House officials, when questioned, focused their remarks solely on the new presidential aircraft. President Trump, however, addressed the matter on 11/8, stating he "followed the Secret Service's recommendations".

"That's up to the Secret Service. I just do what they want. I adhere to the recommendations of the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to take a different plane with an equivalent level of security, and since they said so, I followed their advice", he said.

Nhu Tam (Video: CNN)