President Trump flew Wednesday to North Dakota on his first trip aboard the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 luxury plane gifted to the United States by the Qatari government last year.
The president unveiled the $400 million plane earlier this month, which is replacing the military-grade 747-2 that has served presidents for more than 30 years, and is expected to be used until a new fleet of Boeing planes are delivered to the Air Force in 2028.
Trump said, "This will be the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built." He added, "Well, it cost very little relative to what it would cost if we did it a different way."
The Air Force said it prioritized operational readiness over aesthetics in its upgrades, leaving the plane's "interior layout minimally changed." White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared photos on X showing large conference tables, leather seats and glossy wood paneling, and a pool reporter onboard said the plane included a spacious press cabin with lie-flat seats that feature a massage function and individual TV screens.
The jet is approximately 14 years old, and the U.S. Air Force has been modifying it in Texas since September to meet security, communications and other needs to transport the president; the Air Force had estimated it would cost less than $400 million to retrofit the gift. Sources familiar with the proposed arrangement said ownership would be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation shortly before Trump leaves office.
On the North Dakota trip, Trump is scheduled to take part in a Freedom 250 train ride and welcome ceremony to mark America's 250th anniversary, tour the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and deliver remarks in Medora.