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What Really Happened When President Trump Left Turkey?
By Dee Daniels | Women's Network News
When President Donald Trump left Turkey last month, the public saw him board one of America's familiar blue-and-white presidential aircraft.
The White House said the president was aboard.
But according to new reporting published today by The Washington Post, that apparently was not the whole story.
The newspaper reports that Trump boarded the aircraft in view of cameras but was later secretly removed using an airport catering truck and transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A. The traditional presidential 747 reportedly departed carrying journalists and White House personnel—but without the president.
It had effectively become a decoy.
The reason, according to the Post's reporting: an Iranian threat against the president.
For WNN, that raises a larger question.
What happened in Turkey—and what does it tell us about the security of America's newest presidential aircraft?
TWO AIR FORCE ONES — TWO VERY DIFFERENT MISSIONS
Technically, “Air Force One” isn't the name of a particular airplane. It is the call sign used when the president is aboard an Air Force aircraft.
For decades, however, Americans have associated the name with two highly modified Boeing 747-200Bs designated VC-25A.
The aircraft entered presidential service beginning in 1990.
These aren't simply passenger jets with presidential interiors.
They were designed around a national-security mission.
According to the U.S. Air Force, the aircraft provide presidential air transportation and incorporate specialized communications and mission capabilities.
That distinction has suddenly become important.
ENTER THE QATAR JET
The United States accepted a Boeing 747-8 from Qatar and converted it into what the Air Force describes as a VC-25B Bridge aircraft—essentially an interim presidential aircraft while the long-delayed permanent replacements are completed.
The Air Force says any aircraft operating as Air Force One must satisfy rigorous requirements to keep the president “safe, protected, and fully connected.”
But the Qatar aircraft began life very differently.
It was a luxury aircraft rather than an airplane originally built around the presidential mission.
And converting it wasn't free.
The Air Force initially estimated that modifications would cost less than $400 million.
The aircraft was rapidly converted and entered presidential service this summer.
Then came Turkey.
THE SWITCH
Trump flew the Qatar aircraft to Turkey.
But amid heightened tensions involving Iran, he departed aboard the older presidential 747.
At the time, the president publicly offered another explanation for the aircraft switch. The White House also maintained that the Qatar aircraft was safe.
Subsequent reporting raised questions about whether the newer aircraft possessed the complete range of defensive protections available aboard the older presidential aircraft. Trump later said the Qatar plane would undergo additional work to be “maxed out” with upgrades.
Now today's Washington Post reporting provides another layer.
The Post reports that officials were sufficiently concerned about an Iranian assassination threat that Trump's actual departure from Turkey was concealed.
The president reportedly boarded the older VC-25A publicly.
He then secretly left it.
A different aircraft carried him away.
And the presidential 747 departed without him.
That changes the significance of the plane switch.
LUXURY VERSUS MISSION
Visually, the aircraft couldn't be more different.
The traditional presidential 747 carries the familiar light-blue-and-white design recognized around the world.
The Qatar aircraft is newer and was formerly configured as an extraordinarily luxurious private aircraft.
But presidential transportation isn't primarily about luxury.
It's about survivability, secure communications, continuity of government and protecting the commander in chief.
And that's where the older aircraft may have had an advantage.
Recent reporting has raised questions about whether the rapidly converted Qatar aircraft initially possessed the full suite of defensive capabilities associated with the traditional presidential fleet. The White House subsequently confirmed that additional upgrades were planned.
The Pentagon controversy has become even more significant: former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recently had his eligibility for classified access revoked after the Pentagon accused him of improperly disclosing sensitive information involving the presidential aircraft. Kendall has denied leaking classified information.
That means some of the most important details about what these aircraft can—and cannot—do appropriately remain classified.
And WNN should respect that boundary.
THE COST OF A “FREE” AIRPLANE
The Qatar aircraft also presents another question:
What does a donated presidential aircraft actually cost American taxpayers?
The airplane itself was donated.
Making an aircraft capable of carrying the president is another matter entirely.
The Air Force previously estimated modifications at less than $400 million. Additional upgrades have subsequently been announced.
That makes the relevant question for taxpayers not simply:
What was the aircraft worth when Qatar gave it to the United States?
But:
What will the United States ultimately spend making it capable of safely performing the presidential mission?
That final number matters.
QUESTIONS WNN IS ASKING
There are legitimate national-security reasons why the government cannot publicly disclose every protective capability aboard Air Force One.
But several questions don't require revealing classified information.
Why was the public given an explanation for Trump's plane switch that apparently did not describe the security operation taking place?
When did officials determine the threat required a covert departure?
Was the Qatar aircraft considered unsuitable for that particular threat environment?
What additional modifications are now being made?
What is the total taxpayer cost of the Qatar aircraft conversion—including the newest upgrades?
And will the Qatar aircraft eventually provide security capabilities comparable to the traditional presidential fleet?
— Dee Daniels
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