Escalation: Trump flies Qatari Air Force One

President Donald Trump flew from Joint Base Andrews to North Dakota for events at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on the first trip aboard the Qatar‑gifted Boeing 747‑8 now serving as Air Force One. He called it “maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built” and said it had been made “appropriate for a president” with security and other systems. The aircraft is a temporary bridge until the next presidential jets arrive, with schedules varying between 2028 and 2027 and 2028.

The plane debuted a red, white, navy and gold paint scheme replacing the longtime light blue. Inside are large conference tables, leather seating and glossy wood paneling. The press cabin has 14 lie‑flat pods with massage functions and individual screens that played Fox News during the flight.

The gift is valued at about $400 million and has drawn bipartisan ethics questions about accepting a foreign aircraft. Modifications begun in September focused on operational readiness and left the interior layout largely unchanged. Estimates for the retrofit range from under $400 million to about $1 billion. Trump said taxpayer spending was “very little” and credited Qatar with “top dollar.”

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources