The White House on Thursday claimed President Trump’s switch from the new Qatari-donated Air Force One to the original presidential plane on his flight home from Turkey Wednesday was a strategic “distraction” to keep the commander-in-chief safe.
Denying that any physical security factors led to the swap out, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the new jet “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.”
“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,” Cheung said in a statement.
Trump announced he would be taking the original Air Force One back to the US after stating that he was No. 1 on Iran’s “kill list” on Thursday.
That announcement seemingly took away from the “misdirection,” as suggested by Cheung, as the president broadcasted his plans.
Still, reporters on board the Qatari — which took a detour to the United Kingdom for troops to tour — were asked to close their window blinds for the entire flight, suggesting there was some attempt to obscure just who, exactly, was on board.
The switch came amid heightened tensions with Tehran, which has repeatedly threatened retaliation against US officials over American strikes and pressure campaigns targeting the Iranian regime.
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Tuesday was the first time the US has launched strikes on Iran while Trump was within range of Iranian ballistic missiles, which cannot reach the United States.
Trump acknowledged at the NATO summit that he’s Iran’s “number one” target for assassination.
The episode came as Trump’s use of the luxury Boeing 747-8, gifted by Qatar, has drawn scrutiny over security concerns, ethics questions and whether the aircraft could be converted to meet presidential standards.
