Donald Trump flew from Turkey to England on the older Air Force One Wednesday, leaving his brand-new, $400 million Qatari-gifted jet sitting on the tarmac at RAF Mildenhall like a neglected luxury car. The switch prompted reporters to ask the obvious question: was it because Iran might try to blow him out of the sky?

Trump's official explanation, delivered via Truth Social, was that he wanted to give service members a chance to tour the new aircraft. "They were very excited, picture enclosed," he posted, alongside a photo of troops looking at the plane. "It was on our way back to the States from Turkey, with virtually no deviation of flightpath."

But the itinerary change came after Trump spent much of the NATO summit in Ankara warning that Iran wants to assassinate him. "I'm No. 1 on the kill list for Iran," he told reporters, adding, "so far I guess I've been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn't last very long."

When pressed on why he wasn't flying the new plane, Trump deflected: "It's flying to Europe to one of the big bases, two or three of the big bases, where we can show it to the people." He did not address speculation that security concerns over Iran - which he himself had just raised - might have played a role.

The new Boeing 747 was a gift from Qatar last year, a decision that drew criticism from lawmakers worried about conflicts of interest. Trump first used the jet to fly to Turkey, making this its inaugural international trip. But for the return leg, he hopped aboard the older Air Force One for the short hop to England, then switched back to the new plane for the flight home.

Perhaps coincidentally, the plane swap occurred just as Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran "over" and the U.S. launched strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets, according to U.S. Central Command, while also imposing new sanctions on Iranian oil sales. But sure, it was all about giving the troops a thrill.