The new Air Force One, a gift from the Qatari government, departs with President Donald Trump aboard from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 1, 2026. — Reuters
President Donald Trump expressed enthusiasm on Wednesday about flying for the first time on the newly acquired Air Force One, thanking Qatar for its controversial donation of the luxury aircraft. Trump claimed the U.S. couldn’t manufacture a plane like this, despite the fact that the heavily customized Boeing 747-8 was originally built in the United States.
“I’m genuinely excited about this maiden voyage. No one’s ever seen anything like it,” Trump told journalists traveling with him, including an AFP photographer, before heading to North Dakota. The 80-year-old leader is scheduled to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library for celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
“They just finished it. They adapted it specifically for a president, including the highest levels of security and all sorts of advanced features—very complex but really impressive,” Trump said at Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington. Critics have raised concerns about the ethical, constitutional, and security implications of receiving a multi-million-dollar aircraft as a gift from a foreign nation like Qatar.
Qatar, which has been mediating talks between the U.S. and Iran and is a significant regional player, donated the plane last year. It has since undergone extensive modifications and testing. The first flight comes just a day after Trump faced additional scrutiny over reports showing he earned around $1.2 billion from his family’s cryptocurrency businesses during his initial year in office.
Trump dismissed accusations of impropriety, stating that the expense to American taxpayers for adapting the Qatari jet was minimal compared to what would have been spent on a different approach. “Honestly, we couldn’t have built a plane like this because we wouldn’t want to spend that kind of money. Qatar invested heavily,” he said.
He also mentioned asking the Emir of Qatar if he could use the plane, to which the Emir responded, “No, I’d prefer to make a contribution to the country, so that was very generous.” The aircraft will serve as a temporary solution until Boeing delivers two new, custom-built Air Force Ones, expected in two years after delays and budget overruns.
Trump has been a strong advocate for replacing the aging current fleet of Air Force One aircraft, although one of the existing planes appeared to be traveling as his backup on Wednesday.
