Trump Flies Qatari Gift Jet Despite Security Warnings
Trump Flies Qatari Gift Jet Despite Security Warnings
The News
President Donald Trump plans to fly to Ireland next week aboard the Boeing 747 gifted to him by Qatar, a senior White House official told the Washington Post — despite unfinished security upgrades on the aircraft.
It would be his first international trip on the jet since July, when U.S. intelligence flagged a possible Iranian threat during a NATO summit in Turkey and officials quietly moved Trump off the plane onto another aircraft.
Trump said in July that the plane would be taken out of service and "maxed out" with additional security work. The White House has still not announced when that work starts.
The Numbers
The government has already put roughly $400 million into retrofitting the Qatari plane, according to the Washington Post's reporting as relayed by Raw Story. There is no public estimate for what the further security work would cost.
By comparison, the Government Accountability Office puts the cost of upgrading the two Boeing 747s the Air Force originally ordered in 2017 at more than $5.6 billion — planes that may not be ready before Trump leaves office in 2029. Lawmakers have pressed officials on why that price tag so far exceeds the cost of retrofitting the Qatari jet.
Timeline
The Air Force orders two Boeing 747s to serve as the next Air Force One. The GAO later prices the upgrade work at more than $5.6 billion, with delivery possibly slipping past 2029.
The Qatari-gifted 747 is rushed into presidential service as a temporary replacement for the aging Air Force One fleet, after hundreds of millions of dollars in modifications. Security experts question whether it carries the defensive countermeasures built into the older planes.
On Trump's first international trip aboard the jet, to a NATO summit in Turkey, U.S. intelligence flags a possible Iranian threat. Trump, personal aide Natalie Harp and a small group are moved off the aircraft onto a military C-32A via a catering truck, Raw Story reported. The Qatari jet flies on as a decoy carrying Cabinet officials, staff and reporters, most of them unaware of the switch. Trump initially said he changed planes for "old time's sake."
Trump says the plane will be pulled from service and "maxed out" with upgrades. The White House says the work will begin in the fall and take about a month.
The Washington Post reports Trump will fly the Qatari jet to Ireland next week. No timeline for the upgrades has been set, and the work may slip until after the November midterms.
Reactions
"We don't comment on specific upgrades or modifications to Air Force One," a senior administration official told the Washington Post. "We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture."
White House communications director Steven Cheung has defended the Qatari jet as "state-of-the-art" with "high-level security protocols," Raw Story reported.
Outside security experts remain skeptical, AlterNet reported, doubting both the aircraft's defenses and the White House's claim that the modifications could be done in about a month.
The Washington Post framed the Ireland trip as evidence of Trump's "continued fondness" for the gift jet even though it lacks many of the security and communications features built into the armored 747-200B aircraft that have served as Air Force One for decades.
What's Next
The Ireland trip is set for next week and includes meetings in Dublin with President Catherine Connolly and Prime Minister Micheál Martin, plus a stop at Trump's Doonbeg golf resort for the Irish Open, according to the BBC as cited by Raw Story.
Trump is also expected to headline a Republican gathering in Dallas next week and has said he will visit Alaska and other battleground states before Election Day — travel that would put more miles on the Qatari jet as the November midterms approach.
Whether the promised security overhaul begins this fall or waits until after the election remains unanswered by the White House.
More
The older presidential aircraft carry advanced systems designed to protect the president from missiles and other attacks. The Qatari jet was reportedly missing some of those defensive countermeasures when Trump began using it, The Independent reported.
Poll
Should Trump keep flying the Qatari-gifted jet before the security upgrades are finished?
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