President Trump announced Sunday that the newly acquired Air Force One, a superluxury Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar's royal family, will undergo significant upgrades within the coming month. The president offered few details about the work, saying only that the jet would be "maxed out" during the maintenance period.
Trump made the remarks while returning from a trip to watch the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey, when reporters pressed him about potential security gaps on the aircraft. "It has a lot of capability," he said of the plane, which entered service this month. "But as I understand it, in about a month or so, they're gonna send it to have it be maxed out. It'll take about a month."
The announcement comes after weeks of reported tension surrounding the jet's operational readiness. Earlier this month, Trump flew back from a NATO summit in Turkey aboard a different presidential aircraft, sparking widespread questions about why the new plane was sidelined. At the time, Trump denied security concerns prompted the decision, though he noted that "the life of a president is very dangerous" and claimed he ranks "No. 1 on the kill list for Iran."
NBC News reported that the Secret Service had urged Trump to use the older aircraft for his departure from Turkey, citing his proximity to the Middle East following renewed U.S. hostilities with Iran.
The controversy has drawn attention from major news organizations. Four New York Times journalists were subpoenaed by the Justice Department this month after publishing stories examining security issues with the new Air Force One.
The Qatar-provided jet arrived in June, decked in a distinctive red, white and dark-blue color scheme. Trump called it a "flying White House at a level of luxury no one has ever seen before" during a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. He first flew it to North Dakota on July 1 for a museum event honoring Theodore Roosevelt.
The aircraft serves as a temporary replacement while Boeing completes next-generation Air Force One planes expected to arrive in 2028.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "The vagueness around what these upgrades actually entail only fuels more questions about whether this luxury gift was truly ready for prime time."
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