President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced Wednesday that he won’t be flying home from Turkey on his new Air Force One, which was gifted to him by Qatar.
Trump posted on Truth Social that the plane would instead be going to the RAF Mildenhall air base in the United Kingdom.
“For old time’s sake, we’ll be taking the former Air Force One from Turkey to Mildenhall, a short trip that is totally worth doing in order to give our Great Military Heroes a chance to appreciate our beautiful new addition to the Air Force Fleet!” Trump wrote.
He confirmed the reason at a press conference at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, saying only that he would be returning to the U.S. by “normal methods.”
Trending
“It’s flying to Europe,” he told reporters. “It’s going to go to a couple of bases so the soldiers can see it, because it’s truly magnificent.”
At the same press conference, Trump was asked about speculation that he’s actually not using the new Air Force One due to security concerns relating to Iran.
“I’m No. 1 on the kill list for Iran. They’re lovely people. I’m No. 1,” Trump said. “So, I don’t know. I can’t tell you that, but I don’t really care, because I’m doing my job.”
Trump last week took his maiden voyage on the new Air Force One, which is a retrofitted 747 worth $400 million. The jet is intended as a “bridge” between the aging Boeing jets known for their baby blue color scheme and two new aircraft currently under construction. Those jets are years behind schedule and due to be delivered in 2028 at the earliest.
An Associated Press analysis showed the new jet was not equipped with at least some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as the outgoing Cold War-era jets, fueling questions about whether Trump changed planes for security reasons.
Democrats have been critical of Trump’s acceptance of the Qatari-gifted jet — and the taxpayer-borne expense of retrofitting it.
Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, has proposed legislation to block Trump’s plans to transfer control of the aircraft to his presidential library after leaving office.
“Having invested all of this money in a plane that the President himself described as practically ‘brand new’ — it has less than 1,000 flight hours — the notion that in two years’ time, it’s going to be decommissioned and retired, makes absolutely no sense,” Courtney said on CNN. “If we pass my amendment, there’s no question that it clearly states such a transfer would be against the law.”
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and 12 other Senate Democrats are demanding answers from the Air Force and L3Harris, which modified the Qatari-gifted jet, accusing them of a “rushed, costly” retrofit job.
“Americans deserve answers on how the administration has decided to spend their taxpayer dollars and assume new national security risks with the VC-25B Bridge aircraft and the rushed retrofit program contracted to L3Harris — all in service to President Trump’s interest in having a pretty, luxurious plane for himself,” the senators wrote.
Authors
