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U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly left the NATO summit in Ankara aboard the older Air Force One after U.S. officials detected a credible plot by Iran and allied proxy forces to fire a missile at his plane, U.S. officials told CBS News and The New York Times (NYT), revealing for the first time why the president swapped aircraft mid-trip in Türkiye this month.
The disclosure sheds light on a switch the White House initially downplayed, and deepens questions over the defensive capabilities of the Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 that Trump flew into the Turkish capital, a jet that lacks the advanced countermeasures of the aging planes it is meant to replace.
Trump flew to Ankara on the new Air Force One, the $400 million 747-8 accepted as a gift from Qatar last year and retrofitted over months for presidential use.
But after the summit wrapped, he flew from Ankara to the United Kingdom on the old Air Force One before switching back to the newer jet for the trans-Atlantic leg home.
U.S. officials told CBS News the intelligence pointed to a credible plot to fire a missile at the plane, prompting the Secret Service to swiftly swap to a backup strategy.
The threat emerged while Trump was attending the summit, and the Secret Service urged him to change planes, people briefed on the matter told the NYT, which first reported the Iranian proxy threat.
The intelligence did not indicate the proxy forces were focused on the new plane specifically, "rather that they were targeting Mr. Trump and whatever aircraft he was traveling in," the NYT reported.
The U.S. had resumed strikes on Iran while Trump was in Ankara, roughly 1,000 miles from Tehran.
Details of the threat were closely held even within the administration, with some officials told only that the switch was precautionary amid general Iran concerns. Key members of Congress have not been briefed, according to the NYT.
The threat was separate from intelligence Israel reportedly shared about Iranian efforts to kill Trump, intelligence some American officials viewed skeptically as an attempt to provoke intensified U.S. attacks on Iran, the NYT reported.
Trump initially said the plane switch was to let American service members in Britain tour the new aircraft and denied it was security-related. But speaking at the summit, he openly addressed Iranian efforts to kill him.
"They want to take out the U.S. leader, me," Trump said.
"I'm on every list. I saw this morning, I'm on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I've been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn't last very long," he added.
Iran-linked forces have sought to assassinate Trump since U.S. forces killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in his first term, according to the reports.
Earlier this month, Trump wrote on Truth Social that 1,000 missiles were "Locked and Loaded" for immediate use if Iran attempts to assassinate him: "Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran."
The older Air Force One planes carry laser technology to blind incoming missiles, systems to misdirect munitions and other diversion technologies, sources told CBS News.
It is unclear what systems are aboard the Qatari jet.
Trump appeared to acknowledge the gap Sunday, telling a reporter who noted the plane lacks antimissile defenses that it would soon be "maxed out."
"The new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the President's travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall which will take approximately one month to complete," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, adding, "During that time, the President will fly on the old Air Force One."
The NYT noted it is unclear what upgrades can be completed in so short a time frame.
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The roughly 14-year-old jet, described by officials as a "bridge" until long-delayed Boeing replacements arrive, went through a costly but relatively rushed retrofit, and Trump has said he plans to take it for his presidential library after leaving office.
After the NYT reported federal officials' security concerns about the jet this month, the government launched a leak investigation seeking grand jury testimony and phone records from Times journalists and their relatives.
The Justice Department withdrew the subpoenas Thursday.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the threat level for the agency's protectees is the highest he has seen.
"The numbers at this agency, and certainly I've never seen in my 24-year career, they're off the charts," Curran told reporters.
"I think the environment has become very volatile and that's just across the board... The threat picture and environment is as large as I've ever seen it," he added. By comparison, the Secret Service had opened around 7,000 investigations during the same period in 2025.
Curran headed Trump's protective detail between his two terms and was among the agents with Trump when he was shot in the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
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