The Justice Department formally called the July 8 Iranian missile threat against Air Force One an assassination attempt in a Supreme Court appeal, confirming the secret plane switch in Ankara and pushing to resume White House ballroom construction.
The Justice Department formally described the July 8 Iranian missile threat against Air Force One as an assassination attempt in a new court filing Friday, marking the first official government confirmation of an incident that forced President Donald Trump to secretly switch aircraft in Turkey last month.
Solicitor General John Sauer cited the threat in an emergency appeal asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court block on White House ballroom construction. The filing landed the same week a Washington Post investigation revealed the extraordinary security operation that moved Trump off the presidential plane undetected.
Sauer's emergency appeal asks the high court to allow construction to continue on the $400 million East Wing project, which includes a below-ground military complex and a drone port. A divided D.C. Circuit panel voted 2-1 last week to halt above-ground work, ruling Congress never approved the project.
The injunction is set to take effect August 21 unless the Supreme Court intervenes. Chief Justice John Roberts has set a Tuesday deadline for a response from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the group challenging the project.
In the filing, Sauer called the injunction "extraordinary and unlawful," arguing it would endanger the president and his family. He wrote that the "updated East Wing complex is absolutely required and should not be enjoined," warning the ruling would override the advice of the nation's top military, intelligence, and law enforcement officials.
The filing cites "the threat of a missile attack against Air Force One on July 8" among what Sauer described as a growing list of recent assassination attempts against Trump. It is the administration's first official confirmation of the Iranian threat.
According to the Washington Post's investigation, Trump was covertly moved from the main presidential plane to an alternate aircraft during his departure from the NATO summit in Ankara. The Secret Service used a catering truck to transfer him out of sight of the press pool, several cabinet members, and White House staff who believed he had boarded the same plane.
Officials announced Trump would depart Turkey on an older presidential aircraft because of security concerns, apparently as a decoy. After boarding that plane, Trump secretly disembarked via the catering vehicle and moved to a smaller Air Force C-32A. The decoy plane and the C-32A then flew to the United Kingdom, where Trump boarded the aircraft for the trip home.
The operation mirrored tactics the administration has credited with keeping the president safe amid escalating threats from the Iranian regime, which has been tied to multiple plots against Trump and his allies since 2024.
The ballroom fight is the latest chapter in a legal battle that began when U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ordered a halt to above-ground construction in April, saying the administration had not proven the project's urgency. The National Trust for Historic Preservation argues Trump lacks the authority to overhaul the White House without congressional approval.
The administration insists federal law has long allowed presidents to manage the Executive Residence, and that the project's security features are essential. Sauer noted the complex would provide a secure space for the president during attacks, a capability he argued is increasingly necessary given recent threats.
The filing also tees up a larger fight: Sauer indicated the administration plans to ask the Supreme Court to take the case for expedited oral argument and a decision on the merits, not just a stay of the injunction.
The Supreme Court's response to the stay request could come within days. If the justices side with the administration, above-ground construction resumes while the case proceeds. If they deny the stay, work halts August 21 and the legal fight moves toward full review.
The filing also puts the Air Force One incident squarely on the record, confirming what intelligence officials had warned about privately: Iran's pursuit of Trump did not end with the strikes that followed the February conflict. The administration's decision to make the threat public in a Supreme Court filing signals it is prepared to argue national security, not just construction law, at the highest level.
For now, the key date is Tuesday, when the preservation group must respond. After that, all eyes turn to the justices on a case that blends presidential authority, historic preservation, and the security of the commander in chief.
The Justice Department formally called the July 8 Iranian missile threat against Air Force One an assassination attempt in a Supreme Court appeal, confirming the secret plane switch in Ankara and pushing to resume White House ballroom construction.
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