Article snippet: The president and the first lady departed late on Christmas night from Andrews Air Force base. The news was confirmed by White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Twitter. Earlier in the day, aviation observers on social media and White House reporters speculated Wednesday, that the president may be traveling to the Middle East to visit the troops. A 747 plane used for Air Force One was spotted in the United Kingdom by photographer Alan Meloy as aviation observers shared the image on social media. Other aviation enthusiasts tracked a flight that left Andrews Air Force base in Maryland that was headed in the direction of Turkey, suggesting that it might be President Donald Trump. Even Wikileaks got in on the speculation. Presidential administrations usually work with the media to keep a trip to the Middle East secret, citing security reasons. The media typically cooperate with the White House and travel with the president for any surprise trips to visit the troops. Breitbart News was not informed of any presidential travel on Wednesday either on or off the record. The White House did not respond to any requests for comment. Trump has dropped several hints in recent days that he would be traveling to visit the troops in a war zone. “Maybe I’ll see you over there. You never know what’s going to happen,” Trump joked during a Thanksgiving Day call with the troops in Afghanistan in November. When the president was asked in November on Fox News Sunday why he had not ... Link to the full article to read more