The president inspected the new aircraft—donated by Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani of Qatar—during a tour on Friday.

By his own estimation, President Donald Trump is not a “stupid person.” As the president opined last year, only such a person would turn down the free gift of a luxury 747 jet airliner, donated by the government of Qatar, to serve as America’s official Air Force One.

On Friday, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump toured the aircraft in advance of its initial commissioning flight. The VC-25B “Bridge” aircraft, a modified 747-8i previously used as the Qatari royal aircraft, will serve as the president’s official aircraft for the rest of his time in the White House. After Trump’s term in office is up in 2029, White House officials have claimed that it will leave with Trump and be transferred to his future presidential library, although the legality of that arrangement is unclear and it is almost certain to be challenged in court when the time comes.

Regardless of where the aircraft ends up, the gift itself has been hotly debated in Washington, with skeptics arguing that it amounted to a brazen act of bribery by the government of Qatar in an attempt to influence Trump’s foreign policy. Trump’s opponents have also suggested that the jumbo jet fits a pattern of other unusual financial opportunities extended to Trump’s family members by the nations of the Persian Gulf since his return to office.

The Trump administration has defended the decision to accept the jetliner.

“The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said of the plane’s transfer.

The New Air Force One Has a New Paint Job

Unlike the long-running old Air Force One paint scheme, which features a luminous “baby” blue top, a white fuselage, and a polished metallic body, the new bridge aircraft’s livery is “red, white and blue” at Trump’s order.

The aircraft will fill the role of the two aging VC-25As that have been in service for 35 years, and which are increasingly expensive and complicated to maintain. It remains unclear exactly how the donated aircraft was able to be modified in just 11 months, while it is taking years to complete work on two Boeing 747-8s that were purchased during the first Trump administration in July 2018 and won’t be ready until at least late 2028.

Experts have suggested some security measures may not be in place, but the Air Force has stated otherwise.

“The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said in an Air Force media release. “From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission. This effort proves that the US Air Force can move fast without sacrificing quality, security, or reliability.”

Trump has been vocal that luxury and appearance are what really matter.

“This is considered the world’s most luxurious plane,” Trump said of the aircraft, which Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani of Qatar had previously tried to sell without success.  “When it was built, it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again.”

Trump, who rose to prominence as a real estate developer before becoming a reality TV star, has also opined that the president of the United States should have the most modern and best-looking aircraft, and suggested it wasn’t a good look that he was flying in an older plane.

“These countries have a lot of respect for us, and yet they have a plane that’s much newer and much better,” Trump said. “It’s a little ridiculous.”

It likely helped Trump’s case that one of the aging 747s that has served as Air Force One—the designation used only when the sitting president is onboard—experienced mechanical issues while Trump was headed to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. He was forced to arrive in a smaller aircraft that normally carries the vice president, an incident that reportedly displeased him.

Next Up: The New Air Force One’s Commissioning Flights

Even as the donated aircraft flew to Joint Base Andrews, it will still undergo a series of so-called “commissioning flights,” which the Air Force has described as a “final exam” for such aircraft. The flights are for the White House to “validate mission capability” and to ensure that the “protocols required to safely and securely transport the President of the United States and enable his execution of his three constitutional roles: Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, and Head of State,” are in place.

Only once the flights are completed will the VC-25B be “commissioned” into the active executive aircraft fleet.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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