Trump's Fancy New Plane Is Too Big A Target To Fly On
The first overseas outing for President Donald Trump's new Air Force One has been unexpectedly cut short. Trump stated on Truth Social Wednesday that he'll be flying home from a NATO summit in Turkey on an older Boeing VC-25A. He claimed that it's to allow U.S. Air Force airmen stationed in Britain at RAF Mildenhall to tour the new Boeing VC-25B Bridge. The short-notice swap immediately sparked speculation that there were security concerns about flying the new plane near Iran, which he later all but confirmed to the press that day.
The new aircraft was a Boeing 747-8I gifted to the Trump administration by Qatar's royal family. With Boeing's lengthy delays in preparing a pair of true modern VC-25Bs, Trump was desperate to fly a new Air Force One before the end of his second term. He gleefully accepted the gift despite taxpayers having to pay nearly $1 billion to retrofit the Qatari jet for service. However, he wasn't as excited when questioned by the press in Ankara, Turkey. Trump said:
"Well, I speak about it a lot because, you know, the life of a president is very dangerous. It's 5.2%. You know what a race car driver is? One-tenth of 1%. A bull rider, that looks pretty dangerous. It's one-tenth of 1%. No, it's 5.2% is you don't make it. You should have told me, you're an excellent reporter. You should have told me that years ago, maybe I wouldn't have run. It's a very dangerous profession. No, I'm number one of the kill list for Iran."
Q: There's speculation that you're leaving Ankara not in the new Air Force One because of security concerns involving Iran. You've spoken today twice about them possibly assassinating you.
TRUMP: I'm number one on the kill list for Iran
Considering that thousands of people race cars and only 45 people have been President of the United States, it's not that dangerous. If I were worried about being assassinated by a foreign nation, I simply wouldn't have assassinated their head of state.
Hiding in plain sight isn't Trump's strong suit
Air Force One is arguably the most recognizable aircraft in the world. Its traditional blue-and-white livery is so well known that many don't realize there are two Boeing VC-25As with that paint job. The Air Force keeps two planes operational so there's always a backup in case one is grounded. Occasionally, it will fly both aircraft simultaneously to disguise which plane the U.S. President is on. There's only one VC-25B Bridge, and its Trump-mandated paint scheme means there's no plane that could be its decoy. Yes, Trump's demands for a gaudy red, white, blue and gold livery might have endangered his own safety.
Along with the taxpayer costs, there were always security concerns about accepting a plane from an autocratic monarchy and about defense contractor L3Harris retrofitting it in less than a year. Safety is of the utmost importance because Air Force One has flown presidents into war zones before. It's how George W. Bush flew into Iraq to spend Thanksgiving with the troops in 2003. As its name implies, the Bridge was intended as a stopgap between VC-25A and VC-25B. The plane is scheduled to be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation by the end of 2028. With construction on the library yet to start, I doubt Trump will let a perfectly good plane sit in storage after he leaves the White House. People typically steal office supplies from the job, taking a $1 billion plane should be illegal.