Trump ditches extravagant Qatar-gifted jet to fly home from NATO summit over security concerns: report

President Trump flew out of Turkey on the old Air Force One jet Wednesday night as a security precaution because the new, Qatari-gifted plane still lacks all the features of the previous model, according to a new report.

The Secret Service reportedly pushed Trump to take the old jet out of the Ankara NATO summit due to the security risks related to restarting the war in Iran, sources briefed on the matter told The New York Times.

The decision raises fears about the expedited launch of the new Air Force One jet, which was retrofitted in the past year and likely lacks all the security capabilities of its predecessor, the Times reported.

Air Force One, a modified Boeing 747, serves as the president’s primary aircraft, equipped with defensive systems to blind and mislead anti-aircraft missiles fired at America’s leader.

The systems would stand in the way of any attack from Iran, which has several long-distance missiles and drones at its disposal that could reach Ankara.

Iran has previously shown off its  Shahed-136 drone, which can fly at 114 mph while hauling up to 123 pounds of explosives, and its ballistic missiles, which reached the Diego Garcia airbase 2,500 miles away in the Indian Ocean in March.  

While the aircraft’s full defense capabilities remain under wraps, the jet is known to have radar jamming, infrared, and high-tech communications systems on board.

The jet is also specifically hardwired and structurally built to protect the inside from even a nuclear blast, and such remodeling has yet to be completed on the new jet, Andrew Hunter, a Biden administration Air Force official, told the Times.

A source told The Post that the gifted aircraft lacks the same structural modifications as the original.

“In that time they had, they would be able to accommodate communications upgrades, but not anything that would require significant structural work,” Hunter added to The Times.

The new $400 million Boeing 747-8, dubbed the “palace in the sky,” was a gift from Qatar that features an extravagant interior that Trump dubbed the “greatest commercial plane ever built.”

The US Air Force had stated that the aircraft is “safe, secure and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission.”

The agency added that no risks were taken in security, safety or communications.

The White House denied any claim that the new Air Force One jet is not safe, echoing Trump’s claim that yesterday’s switch was merely a precaution.

“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,” Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement to The Post.

“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.”

Trump insisted he took the old plane out of Turkey for “old times’ sake,” but noted that the plane could be a target given that he’s “number one on the kill list for Iran.”