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Trump to make first flight on Qatar-gifted jet this week to US 250th anniversary event
Billionaire Trump has been obsessed since his first term with replacing the ageing jets that serve as Air Force One, and he hand-picked the new plane's red, white and blue livery
- PUBLISHED: Tue 30 Jun 2026, 1:26 PM
- By:
- AFP
US President Donald Trump will make his first flight on a new Air Force One plane gifted by Qatar later this week, the White House said Monday.
Trump will take the jet on Wednesday to North Dakota for an event marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, a White House official told AFP.
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As he unveiled the plane earlier this month, Trump praised the Gulf emirate for being "so nice and providing" the modified Boeing 747, which previously served Qatar's head of state.
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Billionaire Trump has been obsessed since his first term with replacing the ageing jets that serve as Air Force One, and he hand-picked the new plane's red, white and blue livery.
However, the gift has prompted constitutional and security concerns, given the aircraft's value and its donation by a foreign government.
The US Constitution prohibits presidents and other officeholders from receiving "any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever from any King, Prince, or Foreign State" unless approved by Congress.
Trump's administration has said the plane is a direct gift to the US Department of Defence, while stoking further concern by saying the plane would eventually be donated to Trump's presidential library.
The Qatari-gifted plane is meant to be a stopgap until US planemaker Boeing delivers two new 747-8 aircraft to serve as the presidential jet in a programme plagued by delays and cost overruns.