I Was in Greater Danger… Trump Comments on His Secret Departure from Turkey
U.S. President Donald Trump revealed further details about his departure from Turkey last month aboard a military aircraft.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, after The Washington Post published a report on the incident, Trump said: “I actually think the plane I got on was in greater danger… because it was the plane I think they probably would have targeted.”
He also said that he does not trust Iran.
The Washington Post revealed that President Trump had been transferred from one aircraft to another aboard a food-delivery truck because of concerns over reports of a potential Iranian threat to assassinate him.
The White House did not disclose the aircraft switch, and the operation remained secret until The Washington Post first reported on it two days earlier.
Some media commentators questioned whether the operation had potentially placed Trump’s aides and the journalists traveling with him at risk aboard the aircraft that was supposed to carry the president.
Trump told reporters on Tuesday: “I actually think the plane I got on was in greater danger… because it was the plane I think they probably would have targeted.”
A day after satirical images circulated on social media depicting Trump hiding in a food-delivery truck, the president, who is highly conscious of his public image and frequently promotes edited images online portraying himself as a bold and courageous leader, said he had been following instructions from the Secret Service, the agency responsible for protecting the president.
Trump said: “It’s entirely up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they want to do… So I follow the directions of the Secret Service and the military.”
He added: “I think there was some kind of threat. I didn’t ask too many questions about it. I get a lot of threats.”
At the time, the White House said the president would travel aboard Air Force One from Turkey to Britain. However, moments after Trump boarded the aircraft, he secretly left it via a food-delivery truck and boarded another aircraft bound for Britain, The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.
While traveling to Ankara to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, Trump had flown aboard the presidential aircraft provided by Qatar, which had undergone modifications. It was then unexpectedly announced that he would use an older presidential aircraft to leave the country, a move that raised questions about the security of the new aircraft.
The trip to the NATO summit was the new aircraft’s first international flight. Its rapid modernization had already raised questions about its cost and security. The trip came as hostilities with Iran, which shares a border with Turkey, were escalating.
