President Donald Trump reportedly flew home from Turkey aboard the older Air Force One after the Secret Service recommended the change as tensions with Iran escalated, despite officials insisting there was no specific threat targeting the president.

The recommendation was made while Trump was attending the NATO summit in Turkey after fighting between the United States and Iran flared up again, according to an initial report by The New York Times.

Although authorities stressed there was no credible intelligence indicating an imminent danger to Trump, the Secret Service advised that he return on the long-serving presidential aircraft as an added precaution.

The decision underscored the extraordinary security precautions taken whenever the president travels during periods of heightened geopolitical instability.

Rather than remaining on the recently acquired Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar, Trump left Turkey aboard one of the veteran Boeing VC-25A aircraft that has transported American presidents for decades. He later reunited with the upgraded 747-8 at RAF Mildenhall in England before continuing the journey back to Washington, according to The New York Times and ABC News.

Additional security measures accompanied the flight. Those on board the older aircraft were instructed to keep the window shades closed during takeoff, and publicly available flight-tracking information showed the plane’s transponder remained off until after it had passed over the Black Sea—a tactic frequently used to reduce visibility during presidential travel through potentially dangerous regions.

Trump rejected the suggestion that the switch was driven by security concerns. Instead, he said the newer aircraft flew separately so American military personnel stationed in England could tour what he called the “magnificent” plane.

Even so, the president openly discussed the risks posed by Iran.

“I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran,” Trump told reporters, later adding that passengers were “probably on a dangerous flight” because of the threats posed by Tehran.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the Qatari-donated aircraft, saying it is “a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.”

Cheung also noted that because “many enemies of America have their sights” on Trump, the administration uses “every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats.”

Nevertheless, Trump’s use of the older Air Force One has intensified questions about whether the retrofitted Qatari aircraft possesses all of the defensive capabilities found on the longstanding presidential fleet. The Air Force spent roughly a year upgrading the jet at a cost estimated to be nearly $400 million.

According to The New York Times, both current and former defense officials have expressed concern that the accelerated retrofit schedule may not have allowed enough time to install every classified protection system carried by the VC-25A fleet, including sophisticated missile defense technology and shielding against electromagnetic pulse attacks.

The Air Force has countered that the aircraft satisfies all required standards for security, communications, and safety. Officials also acknowledged that certain highly advanced modifications intended for the next-generation Air Force One fleet were deliberately omitted because the aircraft is serving only as an interim “bridge” platform.

Administration officials emphasized that the Secret Service’s recommendation was simply a precaution reflecting the elevated international security environment and was not prompted by any known or specific threat directed at the president.

{Matzav.com}