US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (Aug 11) confirmed that he switched from Air Force One to a different plane during a recent summit in Turkey due to a "threat", saying that he does whatever Secret Service and the military advise him to do. The confirmation from Trump came just a day after reports about how the US President switched from the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 to an older Air Force One, and then again made a secret switch to a smaller C-32A aircraft.
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What Trump said about plane swap?
Despite the absence of an official statement from the White House or Trump about the switching of planes, the US President has now confirmed the move. Speaking to reporters after returning from Ohio, the US President said, “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.” Trump further said that he has several threats that the public does not know about, adding that any “consequential President has a lot of threats.” "Non-consequential Presidents don't get threatened, and I think I'm maybe the most consequential President." Regarding the threats, the US President said he doesn't worry about anything. "Whatever it is, you know my attitude? Whatever."
Last month, it was reported that Trump had to swap the Qatar-gifted jet for an older Boeing due to an alleged threat. However, a recent Washington Post report said that the US President switched planes once again, having been discreetly moved out of the older Air Force One in a catering container, which then transferred him to a smaller C-32A aircraft.
The latest plane swap happened after the US and Israeli intelligence agencies detected a credible, imminent threat from Iranian-linked military forces or proxies planning to target Trump's aircraft. Specifically, there were concerns about a missile strike or an attack on his newly customized aircraft, which lacked advanced defense systems. In full view of media cameras, Trump boarded the Air Force One jet. However, according to a report by The Washington Post, minutes later, he was secretly moved via an airport catering truck to a smaller, unmarked C-32A military aircraft to fly to the UK. Iran's leadership, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to avenge the killing of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by killing Trump.

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