▲ U.S. President Donald Trump boards the new Air Force One at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom on July 8 (local time) after concluding the NATO summit.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to switch between an older and a newer Air Force One aircraft during his return trip from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, Türkiye, on July 8 (local time) has drawn significant attention.
While President Trump stated that he sent the new Air Force One to the U.S. military base in the U.K. to show it to the troops, he also mentioned the possibility of being an assassination target by Iran. This has led to speculation in some quarters that the aircraft switch was a security-driven decision.
According to the White House press pool, President Trump departed Ankara on the older Air Force One at 8:43 p.m. local time that day.
He then arrived at RAF Mildenhall in the U.K. at 10:16 p.m., where he boarded the new Air Force One—which had been stationed there—at 11:01 p.m. to continue his journey to the White House.
The new Air Force One is a Boeing 747-8 model gifted by Qatar last year, with the aircraft alone valued at 400 million dollars (610 billion won).
President Trump first used this aircraft during a visit to North Dakota on July 1, and the new Air Force One also performed a formation flight with other Air Force aircraft over Washington D.C. during the U.S. 250th anniversary celebration on July 4.
However, questions have been raised as to why President Trump, who has frequently praised the new aircraft, did not board it from the start of his return trip.
The matter was addressed during a press conference held by President Trump in Ankara earlier that day.
When asked to explain speculation that he was leaving Ankara on a different aircraft rather than the new Air Force One due to security concerns related to Iran, President Trump replied, "As you know, the life of a president is very dangerous," adding, "I am number one on Iran's assassination target list."
He continued, "I don't worry about it because I am doing my job."
As questions regarding why he did not fly on the new Air Force One for the entire return trip persisted, President Trump reiterated that the purpose was to have the aircraft stop at the U.S. military base in the U.K. so that the soldiers could see it.
In this regard, Reuters reported that while President Trump did not directly answer whether he switched planes due to assassination threats, he acknowledged the existence of potential threats.
Prior to the press conference, President Trump had announced on the social media platform Truth Social, "We are sending the brand new and truly spectacular Air Force One to RAF Mildenhall in the U.K. for the brave men and women of our military."
After arriving at Mildenhall, President Trump announced on Truth Social that he had boarded the new Air Force One, stating, "This flight was on the way back from Türkiye to the United States, and the flight path did not deviate at all."
This is interpreted as an attempt to emphasize that switching aircraft did not significantly impact his return schedule.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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