'Trump Was Ready to Let You Die': New Details of Prez's Plan to Escape Iranian Assassination Attempt in Turkey Revealed Amid Backlash
President Trump reportedly slipped away from Air Force One in a catering truck.
Aug. 11 2026, Updated 6:24 p.m. ET
White House staffers and journalists are speaking out after they were left behind as President Donald Trump made a swift getaway from Air Force One in Turkey amid fears of an assassination attempt, RadarOnline.com has learned.
During his July trip for the NATO summit, Trump reportedly pulled the old switcheroo, escaping his presidential plane as he hid in a catering truck and was taken to another, smaller plane for his trip to the United Kingdom.
Donald Trump Ducks Out
Trump reportedly didn't let his staffers or media members know he had switched planes.
Trump made the trip to Turkey in a new Air Force One, gifted to him from Qatar. However, it was later revealed that the opulent new plane lacked some key safety features, such as missile defense technology.
At the same time, the war in Iran was in full swing, and Trump staffers allegedly had serious concerns for his safety on the new plane.
So Trump's staffers and the media gaggle that follows him were loaded onto the old Air Force One, which he said he was switching to for "old times' sake." However, it seems that he ditched that plane as well, actually going into a third, smaller jet while leaving the impression he was still on the older Air Force One.
But the president reportedly never told his left-behind staffers that they could be in danger, and journalists on the other plane had no idea Trump wasn't with them.
The Backlash Intensifies
The president reportedly faced assassination fears while in Turkey.
After those Air Force One passengers learned the truth about their unknowing distraction, critics chastised Trump for seemingly being ok with sacrificing them for his own safety.
"Trump was ready to let you die while he secretly made his escape," HuffPost White House reporter SV Date announced to his colleagues.
Liberal critics such as Ron Filipkowski praised Joe Biden for "never hiding in a catering cart", while Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor said the report made Trump look like a "scared little b---h."
Trump had already ditched his new jet over alleged security concerns.
Newly discovered video of Trump's great escape showed the president waving to the cameras as he headed into the older plane. But then, a truck is seen maneuvering towards the steps of the jet, and a man in a suit can be seen being loaded into a small catering container.
The container was then whisked away from Air Force One to another jet. When the container was lowered, the person in the suit stepped out and boarded the Air Force C-32A plane for the trip to Britain.
As soon as he arrived at RAF Mildenhall, Trump was reportedly driven back to the presidential 747, boarded through another entrance, and later descended in view of reporters, as if to appear like he had been on board the entire time.
Trump then walked across the tarmac to the new Qatar-donated aircraft, which he used to finish his trip home to Washington.
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'A Weak, Stupid Old Man Hiding'
Critics called Trump out for potentially putting others in possible danger.
Later, White House communications director Steven Cheung hinted at a security concern in Turkey, but didn't cite a specific threat to Trump.
"As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal – including distraction and misdirection – to address those threats."
Critics were quick to address Trump, with former Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor writing via X, "The mental image of Trump hiding from Iran in a catering cart is devastating. A weak, stupid old man hiding from the consequences of his own decision while endangering others."
In a follow-up post, he added, "What does it say about Trump's soul that he bombed a school full of Iranian girls and won't admit it, and then hid like a scared little b---- while his staff, Secret Service and press acted as decoys?"
