Trump Switches to Old Plane to Leave Turkey

President Trump ditched his flashy new ride Wednesday and climbed aboard an older Air Force One instead, an unexpected call that's reigniting questions about the pricey, Qatar-donated jet meant to tide him over. Leaving Turkey after a NATO summit held as tensions with Iran spike, Trump said on Truth Social he'd fly "for old time's sake" on the legacy aircraft to Britain's RAF Mildenhall, while the newly renovated Boeing 747 would also land there so US troops could walk through what he called a "truly magnificent" plane, Reuters reports

Asked whether assassination threats from Iran influenced the change, Trump said only, "I'm number one on the kill list for Iran," the Guardian reports. "The life of a president is very dangerous," he said. When another reporter asked why he wasn't traveling in the new plane, Trump said, "It's flying to Europe to one of the big bases, two or three of the big bases, where we can show it to the people, and we'll be going home by normal methods, but we have it going to Europe, to a couple of bases, actually one in particular, but it's going to go to a couple of bases so the soldiers can see it because it's truly magnificent."

The swap comes after months of criticism over the interim aircraft, which Qatar gifted last year and L3Harris rapidly refitted with secure communications and missile defenses, reports Reuters. Democratic lawmakers estimate the conversion cost exceeds $1 billion and warn the fast-track job may be less secure than the current Air Force One fleet. The jet is meant to bridge the gap until Boeing delivers two next-generation Air Force One planes, a program now about four years late and over $5 billion in total costs, with delivery not expected until mid-2028.