President Trump on Wednesday took his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One—a retrofitted Boeing 747 worth $400 million gifted by Qatar. Gone is the trademark light blue hull that helped Air Force One blend into the sky. The refurbished jet was painted to Trump's preferred color scheme of a navy belly and red and gold stripes. It has the luxury features that the president believes a commander-in-chief's entourage should have: plush carpets, lie-flat seats, wood paneling, and a presidential seal on the seat belts, according to reported tours of the plane.
Trump told reporters that he was proud of the luxurious plane. "You can do two things: You can low-key it, or you can show it, and I think the country should be very proud of it," he said, per the Wall Street Journal. The jet is carrying Trump to North Dakota to see the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, its first official visitor ahead of its opening on the nation's 250th anniversary. The gift from the Middle Eastern power raised ethical concerns, but Trump saw the plane as a necessary replacement to the 35-year-old planes that had previously ferried him as president.
The new jet will only temporarily be in the nation's service, as Boeing is expected to deliver in 2028 long-delayed planes that will permanently serve as Air Force One. Trump has said in the past that the Qatar plane would end up in a presidential library. The Air Force has said that it did little to change the cabin layout of the plane and that it spent less than $400 million on security upgrades, per the AP. One quirky detail from the Journal: The Air Force got its hands on a few of the ovens installed in the plane so crews could practice cooking in them in advance.
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