After the NATO Summit, a Master of Deception: US Media Reveals Trump Used a Catering Container to Evade Iranian Assassination Threat

After the NATO summit in Turkey, Donald Trump was seen boarding a government aircraft in front of the cameras. However, US media reports suggest this was merely a public facade. According to The Washington Post, due to concerns over Iranian threats, President Trump employed an unusual strategy when leaving the NATO summit in Ankara. The 80-year-old president boarded the official aircraft in full view of the media, then quietly entered a catering container connected to the side of the plane. A catering transport truck then carried him to an undisclosed airport, where he transferred to a smaller US military aircraft bound for the UK. The New York Times also cited a US official in reporting this diversion tactic used after the July NATO summit. The catering vehicle is typically used at airports to deliver food to passengers. After the government aircraft landed in the UK, other members of the presidential entourage transferred from the old light-blue Boeing 747 to a new presidential jet gifted to Trump by Qatar. Trump also boarded the new aircraft. The Washington Post reported that the public was meant to believe the president had remained on the official aircraft throughout. In the US, Trump was filmed disembarking from the plane in front of the media. According to reports, even some White House staff who boarded the official aircraft in Turkey were unaware that Trump was not on board. A regular press pool traveling with the president was also on the plane and reportedly unaware of the potential Iranian threat. The Washington Post cited documents it had seen, along with one US official and another informed source, as its information sources. The White House did not directly respond to inquiries about the report. Communications director Steven Cheung stated that, as Trump had previously said, the US has many enemies targeting him, and therefore all available measures are being used to counter the threat. The security of the Qatari-gifted aircraft has also drawn attention. Trump’s flight to Turkey aboard the new Qatari-gifted aircraft had already made headlines. However, it was later reported that the return journey would use the older government aircraft. Media speculated that the controversial new aircraft, hastily modified by the US military, lacked the full range of security features present in the older plane. After the trip, Trump announced further modifications to the new aircraft, though details were not disclosed. In 2000, then-President Clinton used an unmarked aircraft when traveling to Pakistan, while the real Air Force One took off first as a decoy.