US President Donald Trump has explained why he was secretly transferred from Air Force One to a smaller C-32A aircraft following intelligence reports of a possible Iranian threat.
Trump said the decision was made by the US Secret Service and military officials, adding that he agreed to the change after being advised to use another aircraft.
Speaking on Tuesday while returning from the 2026 Patriot Games in Ohio, Trump said he generally follows the recommendations of his security team.
“I just follow what they’d like me to do,” he said when asked about the reported threat.
“They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, so I do it. I do what they say.”
Trump also played down the seriousness of the intelligence that prompted the unusual security arrangement.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” he said.
The president, however, suggested that the smaller aircraft he ultimately travelled on may have been more vulnerable than the Air Force One aircraft used as a decoy.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk! 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,” Trump said.
According to reports, Trump initially travelled to a summit in Turkey aboard a new Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar. He later announced that he would return through the United Kingdom aboard an older Air Force One aircraft, reportedly “for old times’ sake.”
After boarding the older aircraft in Ankara, Trump was reportedly moved covertly to a C-32A aircraft through an elaborate security operation.
Reports said he entered a specially fitted food container beneath the aircraft, which was then transported by a catering truck to the waiting C-32A.
The container was subsequently lifted onto the smaller aircraft, allowing Trump to transfer planes without alerting journalists and other passengers aboard the legacy Air Force One.
The aircraft carrying journalists and some White House staff members then departed as a decoy, with those on board reportedly unaware that Trump was no longer travelling with them.
Journalists who believed the president was aboard were reportedly instructed to keep their window shades closed.
After both aircraft arrived in the United Kingdom, Trump was reportedly transferred back to the legacy Air Force One aircraft and was later seen descending from the plane using external stairs.
Trump’s explanation comes amid reports of heightened security concerns surrounding his international travel and an alleged Iranian threat against the US president.