Trump Denies Iran Drove Air Force One Swap, Says 747 Was for U.K. Troop Show-Off
Updated
Updated · HuffPost · Jul 11
Trump Denies Iran Drove Air Force One Swap, Says 747 Was for U.K. Troop Show-Off
3 articles · Updated · HuffPost · Jul 11
Summary
Trump said the mid-trip aircraft switch was not driven by Iran-related security fears, insisting he used the retrofitted Qatari 747 to show off the renovated plane to U.S. troops in Britain.
The denial pushed back on a New York Times report that Secret Service concerns amid renewed tensions with Iran prompted him to leave the Qatari jet after the NATO summit in Turkey.
That aircraft was then used again once Trump reached the U.K., where he boarded the Qatari plane for the remaining flight back to the United States.
The episode extends scrutiny of the gifted 747, which earlier reports said lacks the secure communications and military defenses built into the two new Air Force One replacements still under construction.