Trump says he secretly switched planes in Türkiye due to threat

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he secretly left Air Force One and flew out of Türkiye on a different aircraft last month because of a security threat.

"I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane," Trump told reporters after a trip to Ohio. "I just have to do what they say."

"I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it," he said. "I get a lot of threats."

Trump, who had been in Türkiye for a NATO summit, boarded Air Force One in view of cameras before leaving the aircraft via an airport catering truck and transferring to a smaller US Air Force plane nearby, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

Air Force One then departed the country carrying senior officials, staff and journalists who were unaware Trump was no longer aboard, according to the report.