Trump Unveils New Air Force One, a Gift from Qatar

President Donald Trump inaugurated the new Air Force One, a gift from the Qatari government, on Friday (19/6) at Joint Base Andrews. Trump showed off the Boeing 747-8, which he dubbed the ‘flying White House’, during the inauguration ceremony. “This is considered the most luxurious plane in the world,” Trump said in his speech at the aircraft hangar, as reported by AFP on Saturday (20/6/2026). Trump praised the Emirate of Qatar, which he called ‘very good’ and which had ‘provided’ the aircraft. The gift from Qatar, worth hundreds of millions of US dollars, has raised ethical, constitutional, and security concerns. Trump previously said it would be ‘stupid’ to refuse the gift, and sparked further concern by saying the plane would eventually be donated to his presidential library. During the ceremony at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington DC, Trump praised the work done to modify the aircraft. “With the incredible dedication of all of you here today, this plane has been transformed into a flying White House with a level of luxury no one has ever seen before,” Trump stated. “When you see it, you won’t believe it, really, the quality of the wood, the quality of the materials, the quality of the engines,” the US President said. “And I want to thank the Emir of Qatar,” Trump added. A group of journalists allowed to view the interior reported that the new Air Force One features leather-upholstered seats, plush carpets, wood panelling, and cream and light brown walls with gold accents. Trump, who repeatedly praised the size of the plane and its engines, said ‘this plane flies further and faster than any Air Force One’. He also said the new plane would likely participate in a flyover during the 250th anniversary celebration of US Independence Day on 4 July. Trump acquired the new Air Force One after being obsessed, since his first term, with replacing the old planes that have been in operation since the 1990s. On Thursday (18/6), White House officials bid farewell to one of the two heavily modified Boeing 747s that served as Air Force One and carried a number of US Presidents for decades.