President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will return to the United States from Turkey aboard the older Air Force One, while the newly acquired Qatari-donated aircraft makes a stop in Europe so U.S. service members can tour it.
The announcement came as Trump addressed security concerns surrounding Iran, saying during a press conference in Ankara that he remains Tehran’s top target, according to reports.
“I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran.”
“I don’t really care because I’m doing my job,” he added, before joking that he would rather be “No. 1 on TikTok.”
“But I’m No. 1 on the list for killing.”
Trump brushed aside questions about why he was not using the newer aircraft for the trip home. He said the plane would instead visit military bases “where we can show it to the people.”
“And we’ll be going home by normal methods,” he said. “But we have it going to Europe to a couple of bases, actually one in particular, but it’s going to a couple of bases so the soldiers can see it because it’s truly magnificent.”
Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the aircraft would stop at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.
“To honor our brave men and women of the Military, we are sending the brand new, and truly spectacular, Air Force One to Mildenhall Air Force Base, in the United Kingdom, to give them a chance to tour the Aircraft — Everybody is so excited, and we thought that they should be the first,” he wrote.
“For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One, from Turkey to Mildenhall, a short trip that is totally worth doing in order to give our Great Military Heroes a chance to appreciate our beautiful new addition to the Air Force Fleet!”
The Qatari-donated aircraft was unveiled last month after undergoing security upgrades that reportedly cost less than $400 million. The plane is being used as a temporary bridge until two new Boeing aircraft are delivered in 2028. It has already made one domestic trip to North Dakota and carried Trump to Turkey for the NATO summit.
The Associated Press reported last week that the newer aircraft does not appear to have the full missile detection and countermeasure systems found on older Air Force One models. One expert told the outlet it seemed better suited for domestic travel.
Trump continued to frame the travel decision against the backdrop of U.S. tensions with Iran, pointing to the removal of Iranian leaders and suggesting he could also be targeted.
“They had leaders; they’re gone, and they had another set of leaders; they’re gone,” he said. “Now they have another set of leaders, they may be gone, who knows, and you know what, I may be gone too, because I’m their No. 1 target.”
