Trump hid in catering cart to board secret flight in Turkey amid Iran threat - reports

Key Points:

• Donald Trump secretly departed Turkey on a military flight hidden inside an airport catering cart due to an Iranian assassination threat, while the White House publicly claimed he was aboard Air Force One, according to reports from the Washington Post and New York Times.
• The deception occurred during a NATO summit in Ankara, with Trump initially boarding the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of cameras before being covertly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A plane, a US official confirmed.
• Journalists and some White House staff were misled to believe Trump was on the older Air Force One, with reporters instructed to keep window shades closed during the flight, which arrived in Britain ahead of the older Air Force One carrying media.
• The secret operation mirrors a similar 2000 incident involving Bill Clinton and was prompted by a credible threat from Iran; the White House emphasized enhanced security measures on the new Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 used for the trip.
• Upon arrival in Britain, Trump was seen disembarking from the older Air Force One, greeting service members, and later inspecting the new plane, while the White House declined to comment beyond affirming the use of all available security tools to protect the president.