The president departed from the NATO summit aboard the old Air Force One Wednesday instead of the new Air Force One donated by the Qatari government.
The White House said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s departure from the NATO summit in Turkey aboard the old Air Force One was a “distraction and misdirection” intended to address threats against him.
The decision to have Trump travel aboard the old Air Force One aircraft came after Trump said he was at the top of Iran’s kill list following renewed conflict between the United States and Iran. The transportation swap took place just one week after the president took his first flight on the new Air Force One.
“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—including distraction and misdirection—to address those threats,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Cheung defended the security capabilities of the new Air Force One, a $400 million Boeing 747-8 luxury jet that was gifted to the federal government by the Qatari government last year, after reports suggested that the Secret Service advised the president to take the old Air Force One on Wednesday.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Cheung said.
In a social media post on Thursday, Trump said the new Air Force One was being sent to Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom to give U.S. military members an opportunity to tour the aircraft.
“For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey to Mildenhall, a short trip that is totally worth doing in order to give our Great Military Heroes a chance to appreciate our beautiful new addition to the Air Force Fleet!” Trump said.
In another social media post on July 8, Trump confirmed that he had landed at Mildenhall Air Force Base and met up with the new aircraft. He said the flight to the base represented “virtually no deviation” from the flight path back to the United States following his trip to the NATO summit.
Trump later departed from Mildenhall Air Force Base for his return trip to the United States aboard the new Air Force One.
During a news conference at the NATO summit on Wednesday, Trump discussed the threat posed against his life by Iran following U.S. retaliatory strikes against the country after it fired missiles at commercial ships in the Straight of Hormuz earlier this week. “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran,” Trump said.
Trump also said the temporary ceasefire deal with Iran was over on Wednesday after the United States and Iran exchanged strikes on Tuesday.
“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,” Trump said, later adding, “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House and has not received a response before publication time.
Renewed Conflict With Iran
The U.S. military launched precision strikes against more than 80 Iranian targets on Tuesday in response to what it said was a “clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire” by Iran. The strikes came after Iran attacked three commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it carried out a joint missile and drone operation against key U.S. military sites in Bandar Salman, Bahrain’s Fifth Naval District, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Iran also said it shot down a U.S. MQ9 drone that attempted to interfere with the operation.
U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that U.S. forces completed another round of strikes against Iran, hitting about 90 military targets, including air defense systems, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, coastal surveillance assets, and military logistics infrastructure.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” U.S. Central Command said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
