Technically “Air Force One” is the call sign for any aircraft carrying the US president.
But on this occasion, the C-32A used the call sign “Reach 18”, while the aircraft carrying the journalists continued to use “AF1” in order to keep up the ruse.
Remaining on the original aircraft were members of Trump’s cabinet, according to the New York Times. The outlet, citing two anonymous officials, reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were on board.
Trump then flew to the UK en route to the US, where he reboarded the old Air Force One and was seen descending from the aircraft after it landed at RAF Mildenhall.
It is unclear how he moved from the C-32A back to the legacy jet.
The president then transferred to the new Qatari-donated Air Force One to travel back to Washington.
During that flight, Trump spoke to reporters on board where he noted the threats posed by Iran but did not mention the earlier plane swap.
Asked why reporters had been told to lower the window shades on the plane from Turkey, Trump said at the time: “Because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags we have to deal with.”
He said he had a “threat all the time” on his life, and that he is “number one” on Iran’s “list”.
Jose Zamora, regional director for the Americas for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said in a statement that the Trump administration “has a responsibility to ensure that journalists covering the president are not unnecessarily exposed to danger”.
“Reporters should be informed of credible security threats so they can make informed decisions about their safety,” he added.
