The White House has denied any safety concerns about the new Qatari-donated Air Force One, insisting President Donald Trump's decision to avoid flying on it during his return from Turkey was a deliberate 'distraction and misdirection' tactic to ensure his security.
White House: Switch Was a 'Distraction' Tactic
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung stated that 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.' He added: '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.'
Trump confirmed he would board the older Air Force One as a security measure, as tensions between America and Iran escalated during his NATO summit appearance. He offered little explanation, commenting he would travel on the older plane 'for old time's sake,' while disclosing that both aircraft would make an unscheduled stop at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, a U.S. military base in the UK, during the journey back to the States.
Security Concerns Over Qatari-Gifted Jet
The move raised security concerns regarding the new aircraft, which required retrofitting at a cost of $400 million to meet the stringent security standards of its predecessor. Photographs of the Qatari-gifted jet, taken since its introduction, revealed it was missing certain missile-detection and countermeasures systems present on older aircraft.
Trump ultimately boarded the new jet at Mildenhall, which subsequently departed for Joint Base Andrews near Washington after he greeted troops stationed there. 'We just landed and met up with our new Air Force One, which was sent earlier to RAF Mildenhall, so we could show the wonderful Service members, as per the entire Base's request,' the president posted on social media. 'They were very excited.' He further noted that the Mildenhall stopover 'was on our way back to the States from Turkey, with virtually no deviation of flightpath.'
Trump Downplays Iran Threat
During the flight, Trump informed reporters that security concerns involving Iran were not the reason behind the decision to use two separate aircraft for the return journey. When questioned about whether he was aware of any credible threats against Air Force One from Iran, Trump brushed it aside: 'I have a threat all the time. I'm No. 1 on their list,' he said, echoing comments made earlier that he ranks amongst Iran's foremost assassination targets.
When journalists questioned the president about why they had been told to keep their window blinds shut during the flight from Turkey to the UK, Trump indicated it was probably because of the 'sleazebags over there,' alluding to Iran. The president observed that he was not obliged to close the window blinds in his section.
Context of US-Iran Tensions
The aircraft switch was disclosed less than 24 hours after the US military conducted a wave of strikes against Iran in retaliation for its attacks on commercial vessels in the region. Trump announced via a social media post that the new aircraft he had unveiled the previous day would now make a stop at the UK base on the return journey so service personnel could 'tour the aircraft.'
