Trump says Secret Service ordered secret Air Force One plane switch

President Donald Trump said he acted on Secret Service advice when he was secretly moved off Air Force One and flown out of Turkey on a different military jet during a July 8 return trip from a NATO summit. "I go by Secret Service and the military," Trump told reporters Aug. 11 at Joint Base Andrews, saying the agency wanted him on "a different plane, equal safety," and he complied.

Trump had announced an unscheduled U.K. stop to drop off an older Air Force One, then was secretly transferred to a third jet, flying to a U.S. air base in England while reporters and staff remained on the original decoy plane. He said the plane he was actually on faced greater risk. He is believed to have then switched to a Qatar-gifted jet his administration is using as a replacement Air Force One before returning to Washington.

The switch came after Trump ended a ceasefire with Iran over attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and ordered new strikes on Tehran. Officials had been warned of a threat to Air Force One from Iranian proxy forces, including a reported threat involving shoulder-fired missiles. Trump said he faces frequent threats, calling himself Iran's "No. 1" target on its kill list. Neither the White House nor the Secret Service has responded to questions about the plane switch.

Read the full story at usatoday.com.