Trump explains why he's flying old Air Force One back to DC

President Donald Trump addressed speculation about the dangers of flying home from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, amid Iranian threats, saying he is not flying home on the new Air Force One because the aircraft is being sent to the United Kingdom.

"It's flying to Europe, to one of the big bases," Trump said. "Two or three of the big bases where we can show it to the people. And we'll be going home by normal methods."

Trump said the aircraft would stop at "a couple of bases," including one in particular, "so the soldiers can see it, because it's truly magnificent."

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President Donald Trump said his move from the new Air Force One to the old one is not due to security concerns, but he did admit Iran has made him a No. 1 target for assassination. (Dogukan Keskinkilic/Anadolu via Getty Images)

In a Truth Social post earlier Wednesday, Trump said the new aircraft was being sent to Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom to honor U.S. troops.

"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," Trump 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!" he added.

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Trump was pressed during a news conference about speculation that he was leaving Turkey on the older presidential aircraft due to possible threats from Iran.

"Well, I speak about it a lot because, you know, the life of a president is very dangerous," Trump said, adding that he is "No. 1 on the kill list for Iran.

"They're lovely people. I'm No. 1."

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Trump, the target of at least three assassination attempts, has frequently addressed the danger of being the leader of the free world, noting the mortality rate is "5.2%" for U.S. presidents.

"You know what a race car driver is? One tenth of 1%," Trump continued. "A bull rider – that looks pretty dangerous to me – it's one tenth of 1%.

"You should have told me," the president said. "You're an excellent reporter. You should have told me that years ago, maybe I wouldn't have run. It's a very dangerous profession."

U.S. President Donald Trump steps out of the new Air Force One, gifted to him by Qatar, in a hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on June 19, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

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Trump added he doesn't "really care" about the threats or danger, "because I’m doing my job."

"I like being No. 1 on TikTok better," Trump said, "but I’m No. 1 on the list for killing."