President Donald Trump flew to North Dakota on Wednesday aboard the newly converted Boeing 747-8, marking the first presidential journey on the luxury aircraft gifted by Qatar's government. The $400 million plane replaces the military-grade 747-2 that has served U.S. presidents for over three decades.
Before departing Joint Base Andrews, Trump lauded the aircraft as exceptional. "This will be the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built," he said, adding that the security upgrades and customizations made it "very complex stuff" but "quite something."
Trump emphasized the financial advantages of accepting the gift. "Frankly, we couldn't build a plane like this because we wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of money necessary," he told reporters. "They spent top dollars." He called it "a gift from a country that's treated us very well" and claimed the conversion required taxpayers to spend "very little" on upgrades relative to other options.
The Boeing 747-8, originally manufactured in the United States, was selected in 2015 for Air Force One conversion. The Qatari government had struggled to sell the aircraft commercially before offering it to Washington.
Converting the Qatari jet cost an estimated $1 billion. The White House has positioned it as a temporary "bridge" aircraft until two specially built presidential Boeing jets arrive in 2027 and 2028, whose combined cost ballooned from $3.7 billion to $5 billion.
According to the Air Force, the conversion focused on operational readiness rather than aesthetics, with the interior layout remaining largely unchanged. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted cabin photos on X showing large conference tables and leather seating.
The gift has sparked fierce bipartisan backlash since its announcement last year. Critics argue the expensive conversion could drain resources from Sentinel, the intercontinental ballistic missile modernization program already several years behind schedule. Democrats have branded the arrangement the "definition of corruption."
The White House has repeatedly defended the transaction, asserting it complies fully with law and rejecting allegations of impropriety.
Author James Rodriguez: "This deal stinks of the kind of shortcut thinking that erodes institutional trust, no matter how much spin the White House tries to apply."
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