U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks to the media on the day of a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. REUTERS Umit Bektas
Former CIA Director Leon Panetta made clear that he was skeptical of President Donald Trump‘s claimed reason for switching planes for his journey home from Turkey at this week's NATO Summit.
On Wednesday, New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh asked Trump specifically why he wasn’t flying his prized new Air Force One back to the U.S., despite Trump lauding the $400 million gift from the Qatari royal family.
Panetta argued that the foreign-derived plane was a clear security threat.
“I've always been concerned about security issues with this kind of plane that's built by another country, regardless of the fact that … we may have good relations with that country,” Panetta told MS NOW anchor Katy Tur on Wednesday. “The fact is that for from a security point of view, you have got to be concerned that there are going to be efforts to try to gather intelligence. “I'm sure they've reviewed the whole plane, but as somebody involved with security, I would be very concerned about making sure that the president's security is protected. The only way to do that is by having that plane made in the United States and carrying the equipment that is provided by the United States.”
“I don't I don't think there's any question that there are security concerns here,” continued Panetta. “What they are we don't know, but I'm sure that's involved.”
“Have you ever heard of a situation where the president switches planes like this?” Tur asked Panetta.
“It’s a brand new plane,” Panetta barked. “If there's a maintenance issue with a brand new plane that raises even more concerns. I don't think this is about maintenance.”
“This is a cover story of some kind to try to deploy one plane to Britain and have the president return to the old plane. That was Air Fforce One there. There's more going on. I think the war in Iran may have some something to do with it. He is in turkey. It's right next to Iran there,” said Panetta. “There does have to be some real concerns about the president's security. Even [Trump] himself basically admitted the concern about his personal security. So, for all of those reasons, I think that decision was made to try to protect the safety of the presidency.”
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