Donald Trump’s wild week with recent well being fears, livid rants and Air Force One safety questions

Donald Trump started the week flying to Turkey for the NATO summit – and ended it in hospital. Here’s all the wild moments and unanswered questions from what could turn out to be an important week in Trump’s second Presidency

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Donald Trump started the week flying to Turkey for the NATO summit – and ended it in hospital.

It’s unclear why Trump felt the need to take another six-month physical, just 47 days after his previous six-month physical. But it’s the latest in a string of questions that have emerged this week which the White House are unlikely to answer. Similarly, they appear to be very opposed to the idea of explaining why Trump quietly switched planes during a stopover in rural England on the way home from the conference – even sending the FBI round to the homes of journalists who reported the story.

Here’s everything you need to know about what could turn out to be an important week in Trump’s second Presidency.

Hang on, what’s going on with Air Force One?

You may have been surprised to see Donald Trump take off from the NATO summit in Ankara aboard the old-school duck-egg blue Air Force One – given he arrived in his shiny new Qatar-gifted luxury jet.

But cast your minds back and we may have found an explanation.

Trump announced on Truth Social just before leaving that he was “sending” the new jet to RAF Mildenhall, one of 12 US Air Force-run bases in England for refuelling. He said on Truth Social that he wanted to give US troops stationed at the base a tour of the aircraft. Trump, on the other hand, would be flying from Ankara to Suffolk aboard one of the “old” planes “for old time’s sake.”

Qatar Force One was sent to Mildenhall ahead of time, and when Trump landed, he decamped to the new jet for the jaunt across the Atlantic and back to DC. He did not, dear readers, fly halfway home on the old plane solely for “old time’s sake” – but what’s the difference between the journey out and the journey home?

Well, the main difference is that America is, as of Tuesday night, dropping bombs on Iran again. And while the eight months spent getting the Qatar-gifted 747 up to the President’s standards apparently included installing lay flat seats and lots of TVs, perhaps it didn’t include the kind of security and weapons countermeasures required to keep the President safe on an intercontinental flight. Particularly one that takes off from a country that borders Iran.

He denied there was a security issue – but sent the boys round to reporters

On the final leg back from Suffolk to Washington, Trump point blank denied there were concerns about the security of the new jet.

In the meantime, the New York Times reported from sources that the plane switch had indeed been the idea of the Secret Service, who had concerns because the jet had been rushed into service – presumably at the demand of the President – and so it may have lacked the level of countermeasures seen on the old fleet.

And then today, it emerged a string of Times reporters had been summoned to testify before a New York Grand Jury next week. FBI agents reportedly turned up at some reporters’ homes. According to CNN, the subpoenas landed shortly after FBI director Kash Patel was hauled into the White House for meetings to discuss a leak inquiry into how the information about Air Force One got out.

Trump is said to be furious that the news that Qatar Force One is not quite up to Air Force One standards got out, despite being entirely predictable.

Trump accused of hypocrisy after accusing Starmer of risking lives by doing something he did the day before

A row bubbled over Keir Starmer having made diplomatic representations against changing the time of England’s last match in Mexico.

Andrew Giuliani, yes the son of Rudy, the disgraced former Mayor of New York, says Starmer “put lives at risk”, because they wanted to change the kick-off time because of a nearby thunderstorm. If any lightning struck within 8 miles of the stadium, the game would have had to be delayed or potentially called off.

Giuliani leads Trump’s task force on the World Cup, so this can be seen as a message from the very top…

Thing is though, Donald Trump did exactly the same thing 24 hours earlier.

Trump was all set to give his big America 250 Fourth of July speech with 850,000 fireworks – but there were thunderstorms nearby.

He admitted on Truth Social that he had overruled a decision to cancel the speech.

And while thankfully nobody was struck by lightning during the event, fork lightning could clearly be seen in the sky in-between the fireworks.

Trump ranted and raved through NATO

Trump started his visit to Ankara with a bilateral meeting with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO. And when the press were allowed in to see how they were getting along, it became clear very quickly that Trump was not in a good place.

In a phenomenal, lengthy, unbroken stream of consciousness – a single sentence without punctuation – he announced the US had attacked Iran the night before, called Iran’s leaders “sick”, “dirty players” and “scum”, said he’s not happy with NATO because of “what they did with Greenland” and being unwilling to help in his bombing of Iran, ranted about Spain being a “wasted cause” and repeatedly pretended to tell an off-camera aide to cut off all trade with Spain. “Cut of all trade with Spain please,” he said, which he can’t because Spain is in the EU and trades as part of that bloc. He added: “Including visits”.

Rutte, meanwhile, sat next to him, smiling and acting like this was all totally normal behaviour, before gushing about how great Trump was and all the great things he’s done.

Trump then went on at length about how much he want’s America to own Greenland, and how America should never have given it back to Denmark after World War II.

Asked by a reporter if the Iran ceasefire was “over”, Trump said: “That’s an interesting question. For me? I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them any more. They’re scum. You know what scum is?”

And he made the one mistake you never want to make sitting next to Volodymyr Zelensky

Trump mistakenly referred to Zelensky as “President Putin” during a lengthy and rambling press conference with Ukraine’s leader.

The 80-year-old US President turned to reporters, pointed to Mr Zelensky and said: “Do you have a question for President Putin, please?”

The gaffe came almost exactly two years to the day after former President Joe Biden made exactly the same mistake at the same conference.

Biden, who was then just a year and a half older than Trump is now, was facing mounting scrutiny over his age, health and ability to properly function as President.

Several reporters pointed out Trump’s gaffe today, after which the US President tried to style it out.

“Questions for President Putin, not Zelensky. What would you like to ask him, because I will ask him that question,” he said.

He then insisted a Ukrainian reporter give him a question for Russia’s dictator. They said: “When will he end this war?”

“That’s a good question,” Trump replied. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked him that question.”

He gutted a crucial elections watchdog

Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump had the power to shape the membership and leadership of government bodies that were designed to be independent. And yesterday he used those powers to effectively dismantle the Election Assistance Commission – firing the two Democratic members of the four-person board and accepting the resignation of a Republican member. The other Republican quit earlier in the year.

The Commission is responsible for maintaining voter registration forms and certifying voting machines and equipment. It was formed after the farce of the 2000 election, where the result took weeks to be finalised because of recounts and court challenges in Florida.

The White House said Trump “reserves the right to remove individuals that may not be totally aligned with the important task of securing America’s elections and ensuring every legal vote is counted.”

He’s still trying to force Congress to pass his election meddling bill

Regular readers will be familiar with the SAVE America Act, Trump’s bid to make sweeping changes to the way Americans can vote. It would demand strict photo ID to register to vote, seize control of voter rolls on an unprecedented scale, and dramatically clamp down on postal voting – which Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed is vulnerable to fraud.

It will never pass through Congress. Trump hasn’t got the votes and Congress won’t give up the filibuster to force it through.

The whatabuster?

A filibuster is where one party can block another party’s bill getting to a vote by literally standing up and talking without stopping. It’s a bad look for the party trying to push the law through, because it calls attention to it. And you need 60 votes in the Senate to break a filibuster, and the Republicans only have 51. They can change the rules with a simple majority to ban the filibuster, but that would risk Democrats tearing up loads of laws that they like with no way of stopping them next time they get in. It’s like mutually assured destruction but for Congress.

Still, Trump continues to strong-arm Republicans into ramming it through

His latest method of extortion against his own party has been his refusal to sign the Housing bill. Long story short, the current housing bill has broad bipartisan support and is generally considered to be A Good Thing.

Trump could not be less interested in it, regardless of whether it makes it easier for regular Americans to buy or build homes. He’s referred to it as a “yawn”.

But in it, Trump thought he saw an opportunity, so he held it to ransom. He refused to sign it at the very last minute, denying Congress what could be its last bill signing before the election.

Thing is though, he can only sit on it for 10 days, at which point it becomes law whether he signs it or not. Unless he vetoes it, which he probably …maybe..won’t do.

He posted on Truth Social today saying it was a point of protest – and effectively threatened consequences for those who didn’t let him get his way.

“I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Trump wrote.

“THE SAVE AMERICA ACT’S non-passage is CRAZY, and a serious threat to any politician who votes against it!

Trump had ANOTHER check up at hospital – just 47 days after the last one

Donald Trump admitted he’d had another physical – just six weeks after his previous visit.

The frequency of visits by Trump, 80, to Walter Reed Military Hospital is highly unusual. Most Presidents have an annual physical checkup.

Today’s visit would mark at least the fourth visit to the hospital for the elderly President.

It comes after a wave of speculation about President Trump’s mental and physical health after he made a string of embarrassing gaffes at the Nato Summit in Ankara earlier this week.

He was also seen struggling to climb the stairs to Air Force One, and having to be guided through his red carpet arrival by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Trump sought to make light of the return visit – saying: “I do it every six months”.

He began referring to taking “six month physicals” instead of annual checkups with his last visit to Walter Reed on 26 May, just 46 days ago.