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by WILL FOLKS
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A reported threat against the life of U.S. president Donald Trump by the Islamic Republic of Iran precipitated an elaborate game of “musical airplanes” in Ankara, Turkey last month, according to an explosive exclusive published late Monday (August 10, 2026) by The Washington Post.
Per the Post, Trump secretly departed Turkey “on an alternate military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One.” This aerial ruse – which essentially turned the presidential aircraft into a decoy – was reportedly carried out “unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff members who believed they were on the same plane as the president.”
Passengers aboard the presidential jet “were not notified that (Trump) had changed aircraft or made aware of the extent of the threat on Air Force One.”
Of interest? The threat against Trump’s life came just two days before U.S. senator Lindsey Graham reportedly took ill while returning from Kyiv, Ukraine to Washington, D.C. Graham died suddenly on the evening of July 11, 2026 just hours after landing in our nation’s capital, according to his office.
While the specific nature of the alleged Iranian threat against Trump remains unclear, the measures taken to protect him are beginning to come into focus – and sparking significant controversy.
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On the evening of July 8, 2026, after boarding his former Air Force One (a Boeing 747 VC-25A dubbed SAM 28000) Trump was secretly ferried via an “airport catering truck” to a nearby U.S. Air Force (USAF) Boeing C-32A jet, according to the Post.
Trump clandestinely flew on this C-32A plane – under the inconspicuous call sign “RCH18” – to Mildenhall Royal Air Force station in Great Britain, arriving nine minutes ahead of the VC-25A he was supposedly traveling on.
Despite Trump not being aboard the plane, the VC-25A flew using the callsign Air Force One.
The arrival of the C-32A carrying Trump was clocked by plane spotters, who noted the ramp was “loaded with security” upon its arrival.
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REACH 18 (C-32A) just landed ahead of AF1 at Mildenhall with ADSB and MODE-S switched off.
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) July 8, 2026
?RankUpAviation https://t.co/GsLWg3usfz pic.twitter.com/aW9ibn6ocn
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Adding to the intrigue, the USAF C-32A plane Trump flew on from Ankara to Mildenhall reportedly traveled with its mode select (or Mode-S) transponder completely turned off – blocking the aircraft from broadcasting its unique 24-bit address, identity, coordinates or altitude either to ground control or to other aircraft. The plane’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) satellite navigation was also deactivated.
“It’s not clear how Trump moved from the C-32A to the legacy Air Force One after landing, but he appeared before television cameras and descended external stairs from the legacy Air Force One,” the Post reported.
There was already scrutiny over Trump’s travel on the Turkey trip even before the Post’s story broke – with speculation swirling as to why the president previously ditched his new jet in favor of the older Air Force One.
Trump flew to Turkey on the “new” Air Force One, a Boeing VC-25B Bridge that was gifted to the administration by the royal family of Qatar. This was the first international trip for the new jet, which features Trump’s preferred red, white and blue livery instead of the traditional water blue and steel blue used on the “legacy” Air Force One.
The VC-25B departed for England several hours ahead of the legacy Air Force One that was believed to be carrying Trump – as well as the smaller USAF jet that was actually transporting the president.
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Trump claimed he flew aboard the legacy plane for “old time’s sake” – insisting he wanted U.S. troops stationed at Mildenhall to have a “chance to tour” his “magnificent” new jet.
However, it was later reported by The New York Times that the switch was made on a “precautionary” basis on the advice of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS). That same report cited concerns over whether the new Air Force One was equipped with the same “advanced missile defense systems” and electromagnetic pulse countermeasures as its predecessor.
Reports regarding the purportedly deficient defense systems of the new plane have irked the administration to the point of subpoenaing journalists’ phone records.
Less than two weeks after the trip to Turkey, Trump announced the VC-25B would be temporarily taken out of service to be “maxed out.”
Despite these clear security concerns, Trump did travel on the new Air Force One from Mildenhall back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland – meeting with reporters mid-flight to discuss recent threats against his life by the Iranian regime.
“If I go, you go,” Trump joked with reporters.
Apparently not, though…
Reaction to the Post story has been sharply divided, with Trump supporters touting his administration’s ability to address the purported Iranian threat and Trump critics slamming him for endangering the lives of those who traveled on the legacy jet out of Ankara. The story has also sparked a host of memes mocking the leader of the free world as a secret stowaway on a glorified meal cart.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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