Presidential security: Israel reportedly alerted US to assassination plot targeting Trump

Senior Producer

WASHINGTON —

Israel has reportedly warned the U.S. of a new assassination plot targeting President Donald Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal. The threat appears to be real enough to have captured the President’s attention.

“The life of a president is very dangerous,” President Trump said this week. “I’m number one on the kill list for Iran.”

Amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, speculation has arisen that the alleged plot may have influenced a decision to switch planes during President Trump’s return from the NATO summit this week.

Trump initially traveled to Turkey, which borders Iran, on his new Qatari-donated Boeing 747.

But, on the return trip, he switched to the older Air Force One before reboarding the new plane in the U.K.

The move has raised questions about the safety and security of the new jet, including whether it meets the same protocols as the traditional AF1 fleet.

“The new Air Force plane has a new look that is very visible and has been touted by the president on the new paint job and the Qatari plane and all of that other stuff,” retired supervisory Secret Service agent and New Haven University professor Bobby McDonald said. “My guess is that there was something out there, and through an overabundance of caution, the three entities—the service, the military, and the White House staff—thought this was the best way to go.”

Presidential advisor Steven Cheung addressed the plane switch in a statement.

“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. As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal— including distraction and misdirection— to address those threats.”

“The aircraft is safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission,” an earlier White House press release on the matter said. “Those requirements were carefully crafted to prioritize mission over aesthetics, leaving much of the previous head of state interior layout minimally changed. No risk was taken in security, safety or mission communications, but the collective team made trades on some of the less commonly used mission sets that Boeing must deliver to support the next 40 years.”

Still, some experts suggest the new jet may lack countermeasures and missile detection systems found on the old Air Force One planes, which were designed to detect and divert potential attacks. Based on that, the new aircraft may be better suited for domestic travel, according to analysts.

Previous concerns also worried the Qatar-donated plane would also be bugged, however, the Air Force has maintained that the jet was converted without compromising “security, safety, or secure communications.”

Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly referred to President Donald Trump as “former President Donald Trump.” That has been corrected.