Trump responds to secretly switching planes to return to the U.S. to avoid assassination threats: "I have received many threats and follow the military's arrangement."

According to a report by The Washington Post, Donald Trump confirmed he secretly switched planes when departing Turkey last month. The White House had previously led the public to believe Trump returned to the U.S. from Turkey aboard Air Force One, but he was actually assigned to another aircraft. Trump said local time Tuesday that the move was requested by the Secret Service and the military due to security threats. “They wanted me to take another flight, another plane. The safety level is the same, but they asked me to do it, so I did. I followed their arrangement,” he stated. White House staff, traveling press corps, and other government officials returned to the U.S. from the NATO summit in Ankara aboard Air Force One, and were misled into believing the president was traveling with them. This complex arrangement stemmed from Iran’s assassination threat against Trump. When asked why he switched planes, Trump responded: “I guess there is some kind of threat out there. I didn’t ask too many questions. I get a lot of threats.” But Trump declined to reveal the specific details of the threats, nor did he explain why the military deemed it safe for other personnel to travel on the presidential aircraft while he was not allowed to.