US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that the new Air Force One aircraft was dispatched to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom to allow American servicemembers to view the plane during his return journey from Turkey. In a post shared by Rapid Response on X, Trump said, "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 Servicemembers, as per the entire Base's request." He added that the servicemembers were "very excited" and that the detour involved "virtually no deviation of flightpath" on the way back from Turkey.
Denial of Security or Technical Issues
Trump denied that security concerns or technical problems prompted the decision to travel on an older Air Force One aircraft for part of his return from the NATO summit. According to CNN, Trump said the newer aircraft, gifted by Qatar, was flown ahead to Mildenhall so service members could see it. Asked whether a security issue was behind the move, Trump responded, "No, why would there be?" He also refuted any technical problems with the aircraft.
Details of the Flight and Transfer
Trump explained the logistics in a gaggle aboard the new Air Force One: "We sent it a little bit early, so that we could let them see it, the base, the whole base came out and saw the plane, and then we landed." He later transferred from the older aircraft to the new plane for the second leg of his journey back to the United States. Reports from CNN indicate that reporters were instructed to close window shades in the press cabin during the flight from Turkey to the UK. When questioned, Trump said, "You know, you're probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with." He added, "They didn't ask me to close mine, but if they did, I would have done it. These are sick people, so I could see something like that. I didn't know they did that."
Context of Iran Threats
Trump acknowledged facing credible threats from Iran "all the time" but did not confirm any renewed threat on Wednesday, despite the US having carried out several retaliatory strikes against Iran. He told reporters travelling with him, "If I go, you go." The trip coincided with ongoing US-Iran tensions following the NATO summit.
