Trump invokes assassination threat as he switches new Air Force One for older plane
Updated . First published at
Donald Trump has raised the spectre of assassination when explaining why he was flying from Turkey in a different plane to the one he came in.
Trump went to the NATO summit in Ankara in the new Air Force One gifted to him by the Qatari government.
Donald Trump stopped in the UK to switch planes for his return home to Washington. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
But he flew to the UK on an older plane before making a switch at an RAF base.
The president said on Truth Social he was sending the “brand new and truly spectacular” Air Force One to Mildenhall Air Force base in the UK to give members of the military a chance 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.
The new Air Force One has only been in operation for a few weeks, raising questions as to why Trump took a second plane from Washington, to Turkey, to the UK.
Trump was asked whether the plane switch was because of security concerns.
“I’m number 1 on the kill list for Iran,” Trump replied.
“I’m on every single one of their lists, and so far I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long, because that’s the way it goes.”
Donald Trump returned to Washington on his new plane after making a switch in the UK. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a later post on Truth Social, Trump said the new plane was sent to RAF Mildenhall “as per the entire base’s request”.
“It was on our way back to the States from Turkey, with virtually no deviation of flightpath,” he said.
Trump is returning to the US on the newer plane.
Last week it was reported his new plane had not been fitted with the same security measures as the prior aircraft.
That includes missile detection and countermeasure systems, the Associated Press reported.
Trump had unveiled the new plane at the end of June, a $570 million gift from the royal family of Qatar.
In unveiling the Boeing 747, the US president bragged of how luxurious it was.
Under the agreement Trump made with the Qataris, he will keep the plane once he leaves office.
Donald Trump said he is number one on Iran’s assassination target list. AP Photo/Hussein Malla
But he said he will donate it to his presidential library.
Under US law, presidents cannot accept gifts worth more than a few hundred dollars.
This modified plane will only be Air Force One until 2028, when a new fleet of Boeing jets will be delivered.
His plane switch comes after the ceasefire with Iran came to a violent end earlier this week.
The US has been striking targets in Iran, with the president posting videos and images of explosions today. At least some of the footage was from previous attacks, including one more than a year ago.
Iran responded with strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday.
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