President Trump unveils new Air Force One jet from Qatar
President Trump unveiled Qatar’s new Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has said for more than a year that a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for use as Air Force One would eventually become the centerpiece of the presidential library.
President Trump said in May 2025, “I don’t understand it,” and hit back at the suggestion that he keep the plane himself after leaving office: “It’s going to go to my library.”
But the president’s son Eric Trump, who is overseeing the library’s plans, suggested in a new interview that there will be another side to the library.
Eric Trump said in a July 9 interview with the Palm Beach Post that Air Force One, tail number 29,000 (one of two older planes being replaced by Qatar’s new model), would be “based” at his father’s library. Eric Trump said the plane planned for the library will be filled with decades of presidential history, including from his father’s first term.
“That plane has been flying for 30 years,” Eric Trump said. “That’s the plane that George W. Bush flew on during 9/11. It was commissioned by (Ronald) Reagan. It’s carried the president about 6.5 million miles in 30 years.
“So the plan for that is to put it on the foundation of the building,” he added. He did not mention the plane gifted by Qatar.
The interview raises further questions about Qatar’s new airliner, which was donated to the Pentagon more than a year ago and was refurbished over time before President Trump began flying it this month. If the Trump family plans to use another plane to get to the presidential library, what will happen to the Qatar plane?
Two aging Air Force One jets were already in the process of being replaced when Qatar gifted the jet to the United States, an unprecedented $400 million gift from a foreign country. Boeing is building two new presidential jets that are expected to be completed in 2028. President Trump has described the Qatari plane as a bridge to the next generation of Air Force One.
The White House declined to comment in response to USA TODAY’s questions about Qatar’s aircraft plans after President Trump leaves office. The Trump Organization, a private business run by the president’s sons, did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Eric Trump’s press secretary or the Air Force, which operates the Air Force One aircraft.
Trump may face obstacles in moving Air Force One fighter jet to library
President Trump has countered criticism that he stands to personally benefit from the plane (which had an unspecified amount of taxpayer money spent on refurbishing it, in addition to the gift’s value of $400 million) by insisting that it will be kept in the presidential library when he leaves office.
Asked last year if he planned to continue flying after leaving office, Trump replied, “No, I don’t plan on doing so.”
Trump added, “After I leave office, I’m going to go directly to the library.” “I don’t use it, no.”
But President Trump could face several hurdles in sending the retired Air Force One jet to the future library, regardless of which plane is targeted. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force has historically determined the future of military aircraft no longer used in official service. Previous Air Force One aircraft have remained in service for several years after serving as the flagship Air Force One.
If Democrats take control of Congress after the midterm elections, they may try to pass legislation that would block the transfer of gifted aircraft from Qatar that still have plenty of useful life remaining.
Last month, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., introduced an amendment to the national defense bill aimed at blocking the relocation of Qatar Airways, noting that the aircraft had only about 1,000 flight hours and that “American taxpayers have made a significant investment in the aircraft.”
“The idea that this plane will be retired and sold in 2028 is completely unacceptable,” Courtney said, adding, “We want to make sure it never becomes a trophy for President Trump’s private jet or presidential library.”
The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, features a fleet of aircraft flown by presidents, including the Boeing VC-137C, also known as Special Air Mission 26000, which carried eight presidents, including John F. Kennedy. Another former Air Force One fighter jet is on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, but it was not removed until 2003, 14 years after the president took office.
Trump marvels at new Air Force, first week in office
President Trump’s gift from Qatar drew widespread criticism from Democrats. Sen. Jack Reed called it “a brazen attempt to circumvent constitutional restrictions on accepting personal gifts from foreign governments without Congressional approval.”
This gift not only raised ethical concerns, but also safety issues. President Trump flew a new Qatari aircraft to the NATO summit in Turkey, but left in an older Air Force One as a security precaution amid escalating hostilities with Iran.
The Secret Service urged President Trump to use an older plane. Officials say the new planes do not have similar security features.
President Trump has been marveling at the new Air Force One ever since he unveiled it before Independence Day. “There’s never been a plane like this before,” President Trump said on July 1, before taking the first flight of the plane, then known as the “Palace in the Sky,” which belonged to the Qatari royal family.
The new plane is larger than the old Air Force One, which entered service in 1990, and features luxurious interior features, including cream tan and leather furniture, rugs, and artwork designed by renowned French interior design firm Cabinet Alberto Pinto. The exterior is painted red, white, and blue, unlike the baby blue Air Force One it replaces.
Contributors: Josh Meyer, Hannah Phillips
