Trump's Trials - Why did Trump swap out his new Air Force One in Turkey?

Episode Date: July 9, 2026

In a surprise switch, President Trump left Turkey in an older Air Force One plane instead of the Boeing 787 luxury jet donated by Qatar last year, raising questions about security and retrofits. NPR's Joel Rose reports. Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Trump's terms. I'm Scott Detrow. The president has both an ability and a willingness to use the power of his office, to think outside the box. Nobody makes a better deal than President Trump. We're going to do better and better and better. Nobody can believe what they're watching. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's recent coverage of the 47th president

with a focus on ways his administration is pushing the boundaries of presidential power. Here's the latest from NPR. I'm A Martinez. Return now to some unexpected travel arrangements for President Trump. He flew to Turkey on the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747 luxury jet donated by the government of Qatar. After the U.S. and Iran launched a fresh round of military strikes Wednesday, Trump left Ankara on an older Air Force One plane. Here's NPR's Jill Rose. Normally, a president's trip home from abroad is an afterthought.

This time, the surprise switch is raising lots of questions about security. Trump was asked about it at his press conference in Turkey. I'd like you to address speculation that you're leaving Ankara not in the new Air Force One because of security concerns involving Iran. In response, Trump agreed that he is likely a target of the Iranian military. I'm number one on the kill list for Iran. But Trump did not say exactly why he left Turkey, which shares a border with Iran, in one of the older Air Force One planes, instead of the newer model that was donated by Qatar last year. So the next reporter followed up.

But why aren't you flying the new plane home? Say what? Why aren't you flying on the new Air Force One home? It's flying to Europe. This time, Trump gave the same explanation he offered on Truth Social, that he would fly on the older plane, quote, for old time's sake. Both planes stopped at a U.K. Air Force Base in eastern England, where many U.S. troops are stationed.

So the soldiers can see it because it's truly magnificent. Then Trump switched planes back to the new Air Force One for the trip home. Older Boeing jets that serve as Air Force One have extensive missile detection and self-protection systems. Experts told NPR last week that the newer Katari-donated jet probably lacks some of those capabilities because of how quickly it was retrofitted. The Air Force referred questions to the White House, which called the new jet, quote, a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols, unquote, and said the U.S. uses every tool at its disposal to address threats, including misdirection. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. A note before we go, if you value this show and want to help keep it going, a free and totally easy way to support us is to rate and review Trump's terms on the platform where you listen. In a world of algorithms, that goes a long way toward helping us reach new listeners. If you have left a review in the past, thank you so much.

I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.