U.S. President Donald Trump has explained why he secretly switched aircraft following an alleged Iranian threat against Air Force One, saying the decision was made on the advice of the U.S. Secret Service and military officials.

According to reports, Trump was discreetly moved from an Air Force One aircraft onto a smaller C-32A jet through a catering truck after intelligence officials raised concerns about a possible assassination threat.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday while returning from the 2026 Patriot Games in Ohio, Trump said he simply followed the advice of his security team.

He said:

“I just follow what they’d like me to do. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, so I do it. I do what they say.”

The president also downplayed the intelligence that prompted the operation.

“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” he added.

Trump further claimed that he believed the smaller aircraft he boarded may actually have been at greater risk than Air Force One.

“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk! I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane, I think that they would be more likely to go for it,” he said.

According to reports, Trump initially travelled to the summit in Turkey aboard a Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 before announcing that he would return on the older Air Force One aircraft “for old times’ sake.”

However, after boarding the aircraft in Ankara, he was reportedly covertly transferred into a specially modified food container beneath the plane. A catering truck then transported him to the waiting C-32A, where the container was lifted onto the aircraft.

The operation reportedly fooled journalists and several White House staff members, who remained aboard the older Air Force One believing the president was travelling with them. They were even instructed to keep their window shades closed during the flight.

After both aircraft landed in the United Kingdom, Trump was reportedly transferred back to the legacy Air Force One before publicly disembarking via the aircraft’s external stairs.