President Trump will take his first trip on the new Air Force One gifted by the Qatari government when he travels to North Dakota on Wednesday, a White House official confirmed to The Washington Times.
The inaugural trip aboard the Boeing Co. 747-8 will be for a dedication ceremony at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, one of several events Mr. Trump will join to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
He will also fly to South Dakota next Friday to attend a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore.
The president said last week the jet will lead a flyover involving other military planes over the Capitol on July Fourth.
Mr. Trump became the last president to fly aboard the traditional Boeing 747-200s, which operate as Air Force One, when it made its final flight to bring him back to the U.S. from the G7 summit in Europe.
Mr. Trump unveiled the new plane to reporters last week at Joint Base Andrews. It’s decked out in red, white and dark blue — a departure from the lighter blue on the previous planes. It also has an American flag painted on its tail.
“Nobody tops this one, and that’s the way we have to have it for our country. Nobody even comes close,” Mr. Trump said.
He also called it “the largest and the greatest in every aspect,” saying it will be “a flying White House at a level of luxury no one has ever seen before.”
The aircraft, which the Air Force has labeled a VC-25B Bridge, will serve in a temporary role until a new fleet of Boeing jets is ready for use in two years.
Mr. Trump touched off some blowback when he accepted the Qatari plane as a gift last year, with critics saying the move raised ethical and national security concerns. It’s among the biggest foreign gifts ever given to the U.S. government.
The president pushed back, saying it would be foolish to turn it down and pointing to delays over Boeing’s delivery of the new planes and the age of the current Air Force One fleet. Boeing was supposed to deliver the new planes in December 2024, but that timeline has been pushed back to mid-2028.
The gifted jet is reportedly worth $400 million. It’s estimated that the U.S. government spent $1 billion on security upgrades.
