President Trump successfully makes first official flight on modified Air Force One
President Donald Trump made his first official visit aboard the new Air Force One gifted by Qatar and toured the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
A new Air Force One donated by Qatar made its first official flight on Wednesday, June 1, carrying President Donald Trump, who flew from Washington to North Dakota to pay tribute to one of his favorite presidents, Theodore Roosevelt.
“Honestly, I’m excited about the first flight. Nobody has ever seen anything like this,” Trump told reporters before boarding the plane for Medora. In Medora, he will tour the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and give a talk.
The president was accompanied on his first flight by his sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., his new wife Bettina Trump, and several White House officials.
Qatar’s new airliner, which recorded an unprecedented $400 million in foreign donations, has raised bipartisan ethics and security concerns. Democrats have accused President Trump of violating the Constitution by accepting personal gifts from foreign countries without Congressional approval. The aircraft later required extensive additional work to meet safety and technical standards for what would become Air Force One.
See photos of President Trump’s new Air Force One
Passengers share photos from inside the plane
Official photos of the plane’s interior exist, but Eric Trump, White House communications director Stephen Chan and chief of protocol Ambassador Monica Crowley shared photos of the maiden flight on social media.
“Palace in the Sky”
The new Boeing 747-B Air Force One, which President Trump received from the Qatari royal family in May 2025, has been dubbed the “Palace in the Sky.” The aircraft is the successor to the Boeing 747-200, which was completed in 1990 and served as Air Force One for six presidents since George HW Bush.
The new plane is painted in glossy red, white and blue and features a presidential seal and the words “United States of America” along the side.
At 18 feet long, it is 4 inches longer than the older Air Force One and can carry more weight and fly slightly faster and further, although both aircraft have roughly the same passenger capacity and height.
However, the plane is not expected to operate as Air Force One until 2028.
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
