Donald Trump confirms plane switch via catering container after Secret Service warned of Iran threat

Donald Trump has confirmed US media reports he secretly left Turkey by switching planes via a catering container over a threat from Iran.

The US president told reporters he was following advice from the Secret Service and military when departing from last month's NATO summit in Ankara, saying "they wanted me to go on a different flight, different plane".

He added: "I just have to do what they say."

Mr Trump said the plane he left Turkey on was "at greater risk", telling reporters: "I ​think it was at ​greater risk because ​that would be the plane ⁠I think that they would be ⁠more likely to ​go for."

It comes after senior American officials had earlier told the New York Times and Washington Post that despite the US president's public claims that he returned from the event via Air Force One, he was moved for security reasons.

Addressing the reported threat from Tehran, Mr Trump said on Tuesday: "I have a lot of threats that you don't know about.

"Any consequential presidents have a lot of threats. Non-consequential presidents don't get threatened. And I think that I may be the most consequential president."

What happened?

On Tuesday, NBC News, Sky's US partner network, reported only US defence secretary Pete Hegseth joined the US president in switching planes.

Quoting unidentified US officials, NBC News said secretary of state Marco Rubio, treasury secretary Scott Bessent and other senior staff stayed behind on the older Air Force One.

It is understood the threat posed by Iran, which was considered extremely serious and immediate, included the possible use of shoulder-to-air missiles.

Officials, quoted by NBC, said they are in "probably the most unprecedented level of alertness we've ever been at."

The move to use the other plane was a "snap decision", officials said after Mr Trump discussed the options with senior staff as the summit came to an end.

While he was in Turkey, the US military carried out a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant shipping in the region.

Mr Trump said at the time he would be leaving Ankara airport on 8 July by one of the older versions of Air Force One - as opposed to a luxury 747-8 controversially donated by Qatar that he had arrived in.

Photos from news agencies at the time show the US president boarding Air Force One in view of journalists, who then reported that he had travelled to RAF Mildenhall in the UK before making the switch to the Qatari jet.

Container on opposite side to reporters

However, the New York Times and Washington Post reported on Monday that after boarding in Ankara, Mr Trump was taken off Air Force One by a catering container which had been lifted to the opposite side of the plane from where the journalists travelling with him got on board.

After being transported via the catering truck, he was then moved to a C-32A, a military variant of a Boeing 757, according to the Washington Post.

President was moved 'secretly'

Both outlets then reported that when he arrived in the UK, he was secretly moved back to the older version of Air Force One, where he was then seen disembarking.

The president at the time said the new luxury jet was being flown out ahead of his departure from Ankara to give some US troops based in eastern England a chance to check out the aircraft donated by Qatar.

Iran's 'number one' target

Reporters leaving Ankara with Mr Trump were told to keep their window blinds closed, the Post said. When asked why on the journey from Mildenhall to the US, he said he has threats against him "all the time" and that he is Iran's "number one" target.

According to ABC, who were part of the White House press pool making the journey from Ankara with the US president, the reporters on the older Air Force One noted nothing particularly out of the ordinary about the flight.

ABC said, however, that one of its audio technicians said a Secret Service agent came back to the press cabin to remind reporters to keep their window shades closed.

A photographer seated behind an ABC correspondent also opened their shade and was quickly instructed to close it again.

It's unusual for the Secret Service to allegedly mislead the public on the US president's whereabouts: After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, officials working for ex-president George W Bush did not disclose his location for several hours, but they also did not say he was somewhere he was not.

See more from Sky News:
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The White House did not respond directly to questions about the reports, but White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement: "As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats."

The Secret Service declined to comment, and the Air Force referred questions to the White House.

(c) Sky News 2026: Donald Trump confirms plane switch via catering container after Secret Service warned of Iran threat