US President Trump switched planes after the Nato summit on August 12, 2026, citing a possible security threat. Technically, "Air Force One" is the call sign for any aircraft carrying the US president. However, on this occasion, Trump flew on a C-32A aircraft using the call sign "Reach 18," while the plane carrying journalists continued to use the call sign "AF1" to maintain a decoy.

According to the New York Times, citing two anonymous officials, members of Trump's cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, remained on the original aircraft. Trump then flew to the UK en route to the US, where he reboarded the older Air Force One and was seen descending from it after landing at RAF Mildenhall. It remains unclear how he transferred from the C-32A back to the legacy jet. Subsequently, the president transferred to the new Qatari-donated Air Force One for the flight back to Washington.

During the flight, Trump spoke to reporters on board, noting threats posed by Iran but did not mention the earlier plane swap. When asked why reporters were told to lower the window shades on the plane from Turkey, Trump said, "Because you're probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags we have to deal with."

Jose Zamora, regional director for the Americas for the Committee to Protect Journalists, stated that the Trump administration "has a responsibility to ensure that journalists covering the president are not unnecessarily exposed to danger" and emphasized that reporters should be informed of credible security threats to make informed decisions about their safety.

Sources