‘Great Honor’: President Trump Unveils New Air Force One

Yet the administration accepted a luxury Boeing 747 jet from Qatar last year to use as the presidential airplane. Questions remain about the ethics and legality of accepting such an expensive gift from a foreign government.

Trump has said in the past that he would not fly around in the Qatari jet after he leaves office, saying it would be donated to a future presidential library.

On Friday, Trump said the US was in a “little bit of a logjam” as they awaited the delivery of the new jets directly from Boeing, which had originally been scheduled for 2024 but had been delayed.

He recalled asking the emir of Qatar for the use of one of their planes.

“See, a normal president wouldn’t do this,” Trump said. “A normal president wants to stay away from aircraft. But our country has to be represented properly.”

The Air Force said in a news release that any plane deemed Air Force One “must meet rigorous security requirements” and that the Qatari plane “was modified under a disciplined engineering approach that prioritized these exact core capabilities above all else.”

The Air Force also said that “much of the previous head of state interior layout” of the plane was kept intact.