US President Donald Trump is facing questions about the safety of his new Qatar-delivered Air Force One, after taking the old plane home from a Nato summit this week.
The billionaire president has been unable to contain his joy over the restored Boeing 747-8, which took him to Ankara on his first trip outside the United States.
But then Trump suddenly announced in Turkey that he was sending the luxury jet forward to a British airbase – saying it was so the US military could visit the jet, which was donated by the Qatari royal family.
The New York Times reported on Friday that the new plane lacked the same security measures boasted by the old plane, including anti-missile defense. American media also reported that the Secret Service had advised the switch.
Rumors were fueled by the fact that US hostilities had flared up again with Iran, which borders Turkey, and because journalists on the old plane out of Ankara were also told to keep their window blinds down, a move normally reserved for war zones.
Trump himself denied any security concerns – but after getting back on the new plane for the flight from the UK to Washington, he referred to the alleged Iranian assassination attempt.
