An elaborate deception operation was mounted in Turkey last month to secure the safe departure of US President Donald Trump from the country, after American intelligence agencies assessed as credible an Iranian plot against his life. Once details of the operation emerged, they triggered a wave of artificial intelligence generated memes and posts across social media.

The guy posts all sorts of AI generated pictures of himself as some sort of brave and great American hero, when in reality… pic.twitter.com/gxICiNN5tE

— Tony (@TileTony) August 11, 2026

According to the New York Times, the 80-year-old president boarded the older of the two Air Force One aircraft in Ankara in full view of the cameras, giving the impression he would fly on it for the first leg of his journey home from the NATO summit. In reality, he was secretly moved off the plane inside an airport catering container and transferred to a third aircraft, on which he flew covertly to Britain.

Donald Trump reportedly used an airport catering cart to secretly smuggle himself off Air Force One while in Ankara, to evade an assassination threat from Iran.
His staff & reporters were told to lower their blinds on AFO. They were not told they were at risk, & used as a decoy. pic.twitter.com/NllLCv6XJM

— cup a joe ☕️ (@deleteZS1) August 11, 2026

The Washington Post reported that this substitute plane, a C-32A (the military version of the Boeing 757), flew under the call sign “Reach 18” rather than “Air Force One”, with its tracking systems switched off, while the original Air Force One, carrying journalists and White House staff but not the president, broadcast the usual “AF1” signal throughout its own flight to keep up the illusion.

The plan, drawn up within hours of the threat being assessed, was known only to a small circle of senior officials, including US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Journalists travelling with the president, and several White House staff, were never told Trump was not on board and were, in effect, used as unwitting cover for the operation. During take-off from Turkey, reporters were told to keep the press cabin’s window blinds closed.

Now is it automatically FOOD CART ONE when they stuff the President inside the catering cart? Or does it go by another name 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ox1UzfqSvA

— Max Goof (@MaxGoof1996) August 11, 2026

A White House spokesperson said the president has “many enemies of America” seeking to target him, and that every available means was being used to address the threats.

🚨🚨🚨EXCLUSIVE. Meidas has obtained footage of Trump hiding in the catering truck while switching planes. pic.twitter.com/4sIFmVdB7n

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) August 11, 2026

Once the details became public, and in particular the use of a catering vehicle, they quickly became fodder for social media humour. Users turned to AI tools to produce images of Trump hidden inside catering carts, delivery trucks and even laundry baskets. One meme showed the president squeezed into a serving trolley in an aircraft aisle. Another account shared an image of him inside a metal cart in an airport corridor, flanked by boxes of McDonald’s fries and a bottle of soft drink.

Trump and airport catering, a perfect match. pic.twitter.com/ttJLfKTc9j

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— Johnny Depth (@AcwmBruno) August 11, 2026

A parody account posted a picture of Trump poking his head out of a McDonald’s delivery truck parked beside Air Force One, a nod to his widely covered visit to a branch of the chain in Pennsylvania during his 2024 election campaign. Film references featured too: one user reworked stills from Jaws, swapping the famous line for “We’re going to need a bigger catering cart.”

What President Trump told reporters the night he took a secret plane from Turkey to the UK about why they were asked to lower their window shades on the plane they thought he was also onboard: pic.twitter.com/MGn9rScPCX

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 11, 2026

Elsewhere, a catering vehicle was digitally repainted in Air Force One’s livery, complete with the presidential seal, and mockingly dubbed “Food Truck One.” “Instead of Air Force One, Trump was on… Catering Truck One,” wrote another user, while a further post showed the president peering out of a McDonald’s van.