A “credible” Iranian threat to Air Force One forced Donald Trump to switch planes when returning from the Nato summit in Ankara earlier in July.
Mr Trump was set to fly back to the US on the new Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8, which had brought him to the Turkish capital.
But at the last minute Mr Trump used his original Air Force One jet, rather than the lavish new aircraft, which was called a “flying palace”. He later boarded the Qatari-donated plane during a stopover at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk.
The New York Times reported on Friday that the decision was taken on the advice of the US Secret Service.
Details of the threat were neither disclosed publicly nor shared with senior members of Congress, or disseminated widely within the White House itself.
There were unconfirmed reports that the intelligence had come from Israel but according to The New York Times, these warnings were treated with scepticism by American security experts.
Mr Trump left Ankara on the old Air Force One – Alex Brandon/AP
While declining to discuss the latest reports of a threat to Mr Trump, officials have referred to previous Iranian calls for his assassination.
These were at their height in January 2020 after the US killing of Gen Qassem Soleimani, the head of Quds Force, a special unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
When Mr Trump switched planes on July 8, the decision was described as a “security precaution”, with no further details disclosed.
Trump personally chose the livery
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, played down suggestions that the Qatari jet may not have been fitted with all the modifications needed to protect Mr Trump.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff,” he said.
Mr Trump received the jet – a $400m (£300m) gift from Qatar – in 2025. He personally chose the livery for the refurbished 13-year-old Boeing.
The pace at which it was refurbished led some experts to question whether any corners had been cut.
However, this was dismissed by Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, who insisted: “The brand new Air Force One is fully mission-ready and safe for presidential travel today.”
Nevertheless, on Sunday Mr Trump told a reporter that the plane would be “maxed out”. The Telegraph revealed that the upgrades could take so long he might never fly on it as president.
His comment was interpreted as conceding that the aircraft did not have the same security features as the old plane.
The Telegraph has approached the White House for comment.