In brief
In the wake of a U.S. and Israeli strike that killed senior Iranian figures, President Donald Trump vowed to retaliate against perceived threats from Tehran. During his return flight from a NATO summit, Trump was reportedly transported in a catering truck to an alternate aircraft – a covert move allegedly triggered by credible intelligence of an Iranian missile threat. The operation, conducted by the Secret Service, involved media being evacuated to the original Air Force One while Trump boarded a 747‑style C‑32A. The move reflects the heightened personal risk to the president, as Iran has repeatedly threatened to assassinate him. The scene, captured in a step‑by‑step graphic, was reported by Reuters using Washington Post and White House footage, drawing attention to the severity of the confrontation.
"I got him before he got me. They tried twice. Well, I got him first."
Trump told ABC correspondent Jonathan Karl a day after launching a U.S. military campaign against Iran in February. That campaign, a joint U.S. and Israeli airstrike, killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior Iranian officials, prompting Trump to draw a direct connection between the attack and earlier Iranian threats.
Since the strikes, Trump has largely stayed silent on the issue, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the president’s stance, noting the death of an Iranian target believed to head an assassination unit.
These remarks suggest the war is personal for the president, who faced heightened security concerns during his return from the NATO summit in Turkey.
During that trip, Trump was swapped into a 747‑style C‑32A aircraft after leaving the original Air Force One in Ankara. He was transferred in a catering truck while White House staff and the media stayed aboard the decoy jet. The operation, conducted by the Secret Service, was reportedly triggered by credible intelligence of a possible Iranian missile threat.
The shift from the former Air Force One to the C‑32A represented a complex, high‑security operation that kept Trump out of sight while still allowing reporters to meet him after the plane change.
In August, the U.S. announced that an Iran-backed Iranian plot to kill former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was thwarted, further underscoring the real danger of Iranian threats.
