Overview
- U.S. officials detected a credible threat to President Trump while he was in Ankara earlier this month and the Secret Service urged him to leave Turkey on the older VC‑25A rather than the newly donated Qatari Boeing 747‑8.
- Intelligence described the target as the president personally rather than the donated jet specifically, but the 747‑8 lacks several defensive and mission systems found on legacy Air Force One aircraft.
- Details of the threat were tightly restricted inside government channels and some senior staff and key congressional leaders were not fully briefed on the intelligence.
- The White House says the Qatari‑donated 747‑8 will be taken out of service for about one month this fall for additional upgrades, and the episode has prompted questions about retrofit costs, use of classified funds, and foreign‑gift rules.
- The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas in a leak probe related to reporting on the plane, and Secret Service leaders warn that overall threat levels to protected officials are at historically high levels, which could shape future travel and oversight decisions.