President Donald Trump on Friday unveiled a Boeing 747 donated to the U.S. Defense Department by the Qatari royal family, descending the stairs of the jet at Joint Base Andrews to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."
The aircraft will serve as a temporary Air Force One until two new Boeing planes under construction are expected to be ready sometime in 2028. The Trump administration accepted the jet from the Qatari royal family last July. According to ABC News, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement say ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation shortly before Trump leaves office.
The Air Force has been modifying the jet at a facility in Texas since September to meet security and communications requirements for transporting the president.
Trump described the plane in sweeping terms at the unveiling. "This is considered the world's most luxurious plane. When it was built, it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again," he said. The jet is approximately 14 years old and has 800 hours of flight time.
Trump claimed the plane outperforms the current Air Force One aircraft. "Flies further, you don't have to stop for fuel every few hours. You maybe will never have to stop for you, got they call it unlimited. Well, it's pretty close to unlimited, and which is among the most beautiful aircraft the Air Force will ever see or operate," he said.
He also pointed to the plane's appearance as a matter of national image. "This is representative of our country. Now, when we land at airports in London and in Germany and different places, nobody tops this one, and that's the way we have to have it for our country. Nobody even comes close," he added.
Trump noted a design change on the tail fin, where the American flag now appears with a wave rather than the flat version used on previous planes. "We have our beautiful American flag, and we put the wave in it, as you know, we've always gone with a straight little noodle, and I never loved that. Now we have a wavy, beautiful flag, we're waving it proudly, because our country is doing so well," he said.
The $400 million gift has drawn scrutiny from some lawmakers and ethics experts who have raised questions about the unprecedented nature of a foreign government donating an aircraft to the U.S. president. One of the two 747s currently in service as Air Force One is in maintenance. The remaining plane will continue flying alongside the newly gifted jet.
Trump said the Air Force One he flew to the G7 summit in Europe last week made its final planned trip and will likely go to a museum.
