President Trump Unveils The New Air Force One, A Converted Qatari Jet

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. — President Trump connected Friday showed disconnected nan caller Air Force One, a formerly Qatari-owned — and overmuch debated — jumbo pitchy that has been converted into nan charismatic U.S. statesmanlike aircraft.

The caller level — talented from nan Qatari government, raising a big of legal, ethical and information questions — will return connected a caller look, eschewing nan Kennedy-era robin’s ovum bluish exterior successful favour of achromatic connected nan apical half, its underbelly navy bluish pinch a reddish stripe supra it.

“This level was transformed into a flying White House astatine a level of luxury that cipher has ever seen before,” Trump said from wrong nan monolithic Andrews Air Force Base hangar, arsenic a mates of 100 assembled Air Force unit looked on. He said aft stepping disconnected nan caller level successful a melodramatic flourish, arsenic his signature tune “God Bless nan USA” played.

He confirmed that he would beryllium taking nan caller pitchy to nan North Atlantic Treaty Organization acme successful Ankara, Turkey, adjacent period and indicated that he would beryllium returning to China “at immoderate point,” presumably a reference to nan Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation acme that China is hosting successful November. His return from nan Group of 7 acme successful France this week was nan past planned travel aboard nan aged Air Force One, he said.

“Now, erstwhile we onshore astatine airports successful London and successful Germany and different places, cipher tops this one, and that’s nan measurement we person to person it for our country,” Trump said, noting that nan colors and nan creation were to “my taste, I will say.”

He added that nan caller Air Force One will do a flyover during nan July 4 celebrations adjacent month.

The gift from Qatar is serving arsenic a alleged span craft to transportation nan president until caller planes ordered straight from Boeing arrive. That is presently slated for 2028.

The management formally accepted a luxury Boeing 747 pitchy from Qatar past twelvemonth to beryllium utilized arsenic nan statesmanlike airplane, contempt questions astir nan morals and legality of accepting specified an costly gift from a overseas government. Trump has insisted successful nan past that he would not alert astir successful nan Qatari pitchy erstwhile he leaves agency and said it would alternatively beryllium donated to a early statesmanlike library.

Trump connected Friday said nan U.S. was successful a “little spot of a logjam” arsenic it awaited nan transportation of nan caller jets straight from Boeing, which had primitively been scheduled for 2024 but person been delayed. He recalled asking nan emir of Qatar for nan usage of 1 of their planes.

“See, a normal president wouldn’t do this. A normal president wants to enactment distant from aircraft,” Trump said Friday. “But our state has to beryllium represented properly.”

The Air Force said successful a news merchandise Friday that immoderate level deemed Air Force One “must meet rigorous information requirements” and that nan Qatari level “was modified nether a disciplined engineering attack that prioritized these nonstop halfway capabilities supra each else.” The Air Force besides said “much of nan erstwhile caput of authorities interior layout” of nan level was kept intact.

The Air Force has said successful nan past that information modifications to nan pitchy would costs little than $400 million.

Trump’s efforts to reimagine nan statesmanlike airplane day backmost to his first administration, erstwhile he directed that an incoming fleet of caller jets would adopt a colour strategy that was astir identical to that of his individual airplane. Then-President Biden reversed nan determination successful March 2023 arsenic an Air Force reappraisal suggested that nan darker colors could summation costs and hold transportation of nan caller jets, but erstwhile Trump returned to office, he returned to his desired colors for nan plane.

Other authorities jets that transportation different apical management officials will usage a akin red, achromatic and navy colour scheme, nan Air Force said earlier this year.

An Air Force spokesperson, who said connected information of anonymity to talk delicate plans, told nan Associated Press that nan 2 existent planes, known arsenic VC-25As, will not beryllium retiring. Instead, they will stay successful nan fleet until nan caller Boeing planes, referred to arsenic VC-25Bs, travel into service, nan spokesperson said.

It is unclear really nan older jets will beryllium utilized but nan spokesperson said that some nan Qatari pitchy arsenic good arsenic nan VC-25As will beryllium disposable for usage and “the Presidential Airlift Group will prime nan due craft for each ngo based connected operational requirements.”

Kim and Ceneta constitute for nan Associated Press. Kim reported from Washington. AP writer Konstantin Toropin contributed to this study from Washington.