Mr. Trump secretly boarded the plane, 16 hours later in a dangerous war zone 12,000km

US President Donald Trump secretly left the “Winter White House” Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida during Thanksgiving, boarding a military plane with a handful of close officials.

The US President was present for dinner at the base in Afghanistan.

According to CNN, 16 hours later, Mr. Trump first set foot in Afghanistan. This is Trump’s second surprise visit to a war zone. Last year, Mr. Trump made a secret Christmas visit to Iraq.

The 16-hour trip took Trump to Bagram military airport north of Kabul, Afghanistan. The trip is kept secret based on the principle that a commander-in-chief of the US military wants to go to a dangerous area.

By 2 p.m. local time on November 28, Trump’s people were allowed to disclose the trip, minutes after Air Force One took off to bring Trump back to Florida.

Trump’s surprise visit began on the evening of November 27 (local time). After quietly leaving his Mar-a-Lago resort, Mr. Trump boarded a military plane at an unspecified airport, which took off for Andrews Base in suburban Washington.

The Air Force One that Trump used to fly to Florida remains at Palm Beach International Airport. The military plane Mr. Trump uses only has 4 seats and a personal toilet.

Arriving at Andrews Base at 9:30 p.m. local time, Mr. Trump boarded another Air Force One, which was pulled from inside the hangar without anyone knowing.

Mr. Trump wanted to surprise soldiers who were on duty away from home during the holiday.

White House officials and reporters close to Trump accompanying Trump temporarily had their phones and other electronic devices confiscated until the plane took off. Air Force One, with all interior lights off, windows closed, took off at 10:08.

Reporters on the plane did not know where they were going, only when the plane had two hours left before landing that they knew the destination was Afghanistan. It is estimated that the distance from the US to Afghanistan is more than 12,000km.

“It’s a dangerous area and Trump wants to support the troops there,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham explained of the secret trip. “Trump knows a lot of troops have to spend Thanksgiving away from home, so he wanted a little surprise.”

When Air Force One landed in Afghanistan, reporters were not allowed to release any information until they returned. The field trip was planned weeks in advance, but only people close to the White House have information.

Trump’s Twitter account still posts Thanksgiving wishes in a normal way, so as not to make people question the time when Mr.

Trump arrived in Afghanistan in time to prepare dinner for the troops, then sat down with Congressman John Barrasso and a base commander in Bagram.