Trump unveils new Air Force One, a converted Qatari 747

President Donald Trump unveiled the new, temporary Air Force One at a hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday. The jet, designated VC-25B and painted in a bold red, white, dark blue and gold livery, was gifted to Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar, provoking criticism since the $400 million aircraft far exceeds the $50 limit on unsolicited gifts from a single source in a calendar year.

Trump dismissed the criticism, saying it would be “stupid” to turn down the offer. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell had said that “the secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”

The cost of converting the Qatari 747 has been put at $1 billion, and it is designed to serve as a “bridge” aircraft until two long-delayed presidential Boeings are delivered in 2027 and 2028. The cost of those two purpose-built aircraft has ballooned from $3.7 billion to $5 billion.

Criticism of the gifted Qatari jet included accusations that conversion costs could divert funds from the Sentinel ICBM modernization program, which is already years behind schedule. At the unveiling, Trump thanked the emir of Qatar, calling him “a fantastic guy” and stating the plane is “the world’s most luxurious plane.”

Trump argued the new jet was necessary to keep pace with more modern aircraft flown by foreign leaders. The two aging 747s in the presidential fleet entered service in 1990 during the George H.W. Bush presidency. Earlier this year, one of them was forced to turn back to Washington due to a minor electrical issue.

The air force fast-tracked retrofitting of the Qatari jet but skipped some planned modifications to deliver the interim version sooner. Officials said it meets presidential standards. The new jet, with a color scheme echoing Trump’s own aircraft, arrives two weeks before a planned formation flight over Washington D.C. on July 4 to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

A tour of the interior revealed a framed print of a duck swimming in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The delivery of the Qatari jet coincides with the retirement of Air Force One tail number 29000, the Boeing 747-200 that transported the president back from Europe on Thursday and will eventually go to a museum. Its companion aircraft, tail number 28000 with light blue and white trim, will continue flying with the new VC-25B until the new jets are delivered.

Concerns that Trump might use the Qatari jet for personal use after leaving office in 2028 appear unlikely given that a 747 costs $180,000 to $200,000 per flight hour, a sharp increase from the $12,000 to $16,500 per hour cost of Trump's own Boeing 757.