Donald Trump returned to Britain aboard the ageing Air Force One after renewed threats from Iran, despite taking his new $400 million presidential jet on its maiden overseas trip just hours earlier.
The US President had travelled to the NATO summit in Ankara aboard the new Boeing VC-25B, a luxury aircraft gifted by Qatar to replace the ageing Boeing VC-25A that has served American presidents since 1990.
But after the summit, Trump switched back to the older aircraft for the flight to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, while the new presidential jet flew separately to Britain.
The unusual move came after reporters questioned whether the change was linked to growing security concerns following Trump’s latest military action against Iran.
Asked whether the decision was driven by fears of an Iranian assassination attempt, Trump did not directly answer but acknowledged the risks he faces.
I speak about it a lot because the life of a President is very dangerous,” he said.
Claiming he remains a top target for Tehran, Trump added: “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran.
He joked that he would rather be “number one on TikTok.”
Earlier in the day, Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran was “over” and ordered a new wave of US strikes, saying Tehran had resumed attacks despite previous agreements.
After landing at RAF Mildenhall, Trump revealed the new aircraft had been flown ahead so US service personnel stationed in Britain could become the first military members to tour it.
We just landed and met up with our new Air Force One,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“We thought they should be the first.”
The President described the aircraft as a “beautiful new addition” to the US Air Force fleet and praised the American troops based at Mildenhall.
The Qatari-funded aircraft has sparked fierce political controversy in Washington, with critics raising questions over security, foreign influence and the ethics of accepting such an expensive gift from a foreign government.
Trump has defended the move, arguing the ageing VC-25A had reached the end of its operational life.
The veteran aircraft, which first entered service under President George H.W. Bush, had been expected to make its final journey earlier this year before being retired to a museum.
Instead, it unexpectedly returned to presidential duty as tensions with Iran intensified once again, underlining the heightened security concerns surrounding the commander-in-chief.
Leave a Comment