Trump unveils – President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled the new Air Force One, a converted jumbo jet formerly owned by Qatar, now serving as the presidential “bridge” aircraft until Boeing’s next generation planes arrive in 2028. The display comes amid continuing scrutiny o
President Donald Trump stepped out into the hangar at Andrews Air Force Base as “God Bless the USA” played, then turned to show off the next version of the presidential plane—an enormous aircraft that still carries the history of another country.
This new Air Force One is a formerly Qatari-owned jumbo jet converted into the official U.S. presidential aircraft. Gone is the old plane’s Kennedy-era robin’s egg blue exterior. In its place. the underbelly is painted navy blue with a red stripe above it. the left side where the president boards bears the presidential seal. and the tail features a massive American flag.
Trump spoke as a couple hundred assembled Air Force personnel looked on inside the Andrews hangar. “The workmanship of this plane is, when you see it, you won’t believe it,” he said after stepping off the aircraft in a dramatic flourish.
The administration’s plan puts the converted jet on a clear temporary path: it is being used as a “bridge” aircraft to carry the president until new planes ordered directly from Boeing arrive. That delivery timeline is slated for 2028.
The political and ethical questions around the jet haven’t gone away. The administration formally accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar last year to be used as the presidential airplane. despite questions about the ethics and legality of taking an expensive gift from a foreign nation. Trump has previously insisted he would not fly around in the Qatari jet once he leaves office. saying it would be donated to a future presidential library instead.
The Air Force has said security modifications to the jet would cost less than $400 million.
Trump’s latest unveiling also fits into an older fight over what the presidential fleet should look like. During his first administration. he directed that an incoming fleet of new jets adopt a color scheme closely matching the color of his personal airplane. Then-President Joe Biden reversed that decision in March 2023 after an Air Force review suggested the darker colors could increase costs and delay delivery of the new jets.
When Trump returned to office, he brought back the colors he wanted. The Air Force also said earlier this year that other government jets carrying other top administration officials will use a similar red, white and navy color scheme.
Behind the scenes, the Air Force says the fleet won’t simply switch over overnight. An Air Force spokesperson. speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans. said the two current planes known as VC-25As will not be retiring. Instead, they will remain in the fleet until the new Boeing planes, referred to as VC-25Bs, come into service.
It’s not fully clear how the older jets will be used, but the spokesperson said that both the Qatari jet and the VC-25As will be available for use, and that the Presidential Airlift Group will select the appropriate aircraft for each mission based on operational requirements.
For now, the message of the unveiling is simple: the converted Qatar jet is the plane in the hangar today, and the question for the future is what comes next once the Boeing replacements arrive in 2028.
Air Force One Trump Qatar jet Boeing 747 VC-25A VC-25B Andrews Air Force Base Presidential Airlift Group presidential aircraft security modifications
So they’re replacing Air Force One with a donated jet from Qatar? okay…
I’m confused, didn’t he say he wouldn’t be flying that Qatar plane later? but now it’s like the new one? Also why does the tail need a flag like it’s a sports car.
“Bridge aircraft” sounds like a fancy way of saying we’re stuck with somebody else’s stuff until 2028. Like how’s that not a gift situation forever. If Boeing’s next gen is coming in 2028 then why not just wait and keep the old one running?
God Bless the USA playing while he unveils it… sure. But the fact it was owned by Qatar first feels like a whole ethics thing and it’s gonna get swept under the rug. Also Boeing 747 converted?? I thought they were doing like new planes with AI or whatever. Idk I just don’t trust the whole timing.