June 19, 2026
President Trump just unveiled the new Air Force One.
This is our first official look at the transformation of the $400 million jet that Trump said was a gift from Qatar — all changed into his new Air Force One.
I’m going to get into what else he said about this new jet the Air Force calls a “bridge VC-25B” in a second, but just to clarify, the standard jets the president is talking about are the other two Boeing VC-25B planes that Americans are also paying for to be Air Force One.
Those were ordered by Trump during his first term, and they have been plagued by delays, supply chain issues, and cost overruns.
Originally they were supposed to cost $4 billion, but those costs have ballooned to more than $5.5 billion, and they still haven’t been delivered.
Originally they were supposed to be delivered in 2024, but now we don’t expect them until mid-2028.
So in the meantime, President Trump wanted a new plane.
Yes, the previous Air Force Ones were 35 years old, but as I reported in this video last night, no military or White House official has ever said those planes were unsafe or unable to transport the President of the United States.
During today’s unveiling, Trump explained why he wanted a new plane instead of just waiting until the new Boeing planes we’ve already paid for arrive.
So Trump said he just asked the Emir of Qatar if he could help him out.
Well, most presidents wouldn’t do that generally because the U.S. military doesn’t trust vehicles, planes, or helicopters in the control of any foreign government to transport the President of the United States.
That’s why when not just Trump, but any president travels anywhere, the military also transports his car — The Beast — and depending on the trip, his helicopter — Marine One — and of course he only flies on Air Force One.
That’s why when this Qatari plane showed up in America, the Air Force had to retrofit it so it could be suitable to transport the president.
Now, that process and what had to be done to convert the Qatari plane and make it secure is classified.
The Air Force hasn’t publicly disclosed what they specifically had to do, nor have they given the public or Congress an exact price tag for how much that cost.
All the Air Force told Congress is it didn’t exceed $400 million.
But aside from the cost, the speed of this retrofit is notable.
Ten months is a really quick turnaround.
Lawmakers have questioned whether the Air Force cut corners or jeopardized any safety in order to get this plane commissioned for Trump.
Today, the Air Force said:
“No risk was taken in security, safety or mission communications, but the collective team made trades on some of the less commonly used mission sets that Boeing must deliver to support the next 40 years.”
Of course, you’re going to notice a brand-new look for Air Force One.
Here’s the paint job on the old Air Force One, and this is the new one.
So when are we going to see this new Air Force One in action?
Trump and the Air Force were not specific.
But the president did say that this brand-new Air Force One is going to be leading a big military flyover of the capital during the celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
Read more from the Air Force about the new Air Force One here.
Watch Trump’s entire announcement here.
Video of Trump stepping off new AF1 here.
AF says original AF1 will remain in operation here.
