US Couldn’t Build Qatari-Donated Air Force One: Trump
Photo: REUTERS
US President Donald Trump launched the inaugural flight of a new Air Force One on Wednesday, a $400 million luxury Boeing jet donated by the government of Qatar.
As he departed for North Dakota to attend an America 250 celebration, Trump expressed high praise for the foreign-funded aircraft, asserting that the US “could not build a plane like this.”
The aircraft features a white, red, and navy-blue color scheme, bearing a strong resemblance to the personal jet Trump has used for years.
Highlighting the sophisticated upgrades, Trump said, “They just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president, that means the security and all of the different bells and whistles they put on. Very complex now, but it’s really quite something.”
The gift, formally accepted by the Pentagon, has triggered significant legal and ethical questions.
Trump explained that the donation occurred after he asked to use the plane “for a period of time,” prompting Qatar’s emir to offer it to the US permanently.
Regarding the project’s scale, Trump noted, “Frankly, we could not build a plane like this because we wouldn’t be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollars.”
This jet will fill a two-year operational gap while Boeing finishes modifying two 747-800 replacements. Trump, calling the aircraft “the world’s most luxurious plane,” claimed there has “never been a plane like it.”
Source: CNN (adapted)
