President Trump boards Air Power One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Might 12, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP
The luxurious Boeing 747 gifted to the U.S. authorities by Qatar is standing by on the San Antonio, Texas, airport, awaiting a specialised overhaul from a protection contractor in order that President Trump can use it as the subsequent Air Power One.
It isn’t clear how shortly the aircraft — which touched off a firestorm of moral, authorized, political and safety considerations simply forward of Trump’s journey to the Center East final week — shall be able to take the skies with Trump aboard.
The Air Power will take possession of the aircraft as soon as the paperwork to move it over is full, after which the retrofit can start, based on a U.S. official, who was not approved to talk to reporters on the file.
The Air Power didn’t remark publicly on the plans, and the White Home earlier Monday deferred all inquiries to the Air Power.
“The president, frankly, has nothing to do with it,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned on Monday.
President Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at first of a state dinner on the Lusail Palace in Doha on Might 14, 2025.
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Qatar’s supply of the $400 million aircraft got here to mild as Trump was leaving for a visit that took him to Doha in addition to stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. On that journey, Trump mentioned Qatar intends to spend greater than $1 trillion on enterprise offers with the USA, together with an enormous order of Boeing jets from Qatar Airways.
The White Home mentioned the aircraft was a present to the Division of Protection, and would undergo the authorized protocols required when one thing is given to the federal government. Trump mentioned he wouldn’t use the aircraft after he leaves workplace — although he desires to park it in his presidential library in the future.
“I admire it very a lot. I might by no means be one to show down that sort of a suggestion,” Trump mentioned.
President Trump speaks to reporters within the press cabin of Air Power One as he departs Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Might 16, 2025.
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Win McNamee/Getty Pictures Europe
Consultants say retrofitting the aircraft would require years of labor
However specialists say outfitting a aircraft like this to make it appropriate to be used because the presidential plane usually would entail not less than just a few years of labor, stripping the aircraft down and including what’s essential to make it protected sufficient to hold the president.
That timeline means it will not be prepared till Trump is out of workplace. Shortcuts within the retrofit may create nationwide safety dangers, specialists mentioned.
“They would not be capable to set up the sorts of capabilities you usually discover on an Air Power One,” mentioned Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, describing a retrofit timeline of lower than 4 years.
“By way of encrypted communications, to digital warfare, to back-up energy programs — it would not have any of that in that timeframe,” Aboulafia mentioned. “Anyone on that jet could be suggested to make use of burner telephones and watch what they are saying.”
Nicholas Veronico, a former NASA contractor who labored on 747s and is an writer of a ebook on Air Power One, agreed {that a} shorter timeframe could be problematic.
“If the conversion might be accomplished inside a yr and President Trump is flying world wide on this new less-than-Air-Power-One Air Power One, then he is flying in a compromised airplane. And we’re placing our president in danger,” Veronico mentioned.
Members of Congress have additionally sounded the alarm, together with a few of Trump’s Republican allies.
“I favor an enormous, stunning aircraft inbuilt the USA, made in America, purchased in America,” mentioned Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
Senate Democratic Chief Sen. Chuck Schumer has proposed banning the Air Power from retrofitting international planes as presidential plane.
Trump has bristled on the criticism, saying it would not make sense to show down the present.
“Why ought to our army, and subsequently our taxpayers, be pressured to pay a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of {Dollars} once they can get it for FREE from a rustic that wishes to reward us for a job nicely accomplished. This huge financial savings shall be spent, as a substitute, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,” Trump mentioned on social media.
“Solely a FOOL wouldn’t settle for this present on behalf of our Nation.”
NPR’s Tom Bowman and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.
