Trump says new Air Force One will be ‘maxed out’ soon
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the Qatar-gifted jet now flying as Air Force One will soon be taken out of service to be “maxed out,” following questions about whether the plane lacks antimissile defenses. He said the upgrade work should take about a month.
Key Takeaways
- Trump said the new presidential jet will be sent away in about a month to be “maxed out.”
- He spoke after returning to Washington from New Jersey aboard the aircraft.
- A reporter asked why he was flying a plane said to lack antimissile defense systems.
- Trump replied that the jet already has “a lot of capability,” then confirmed further upgrades.
- The Boeing 747 was donated by Qatar; Trump has said he plans to take it for his presidential library.
The remarks, reported by The New York Times and Reuters, came as Trump answered a pointed security question while traveling with reporters.
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What did Trump say about Air Force One?
Asked about antimissile defenses on the Qatar-donated Boeing 747, Trump said the aircraft “has a lot of capability.”
He added that, as he understands it, the plane will be sent in about a month “to have it be maxed out,” and that the work “will take about a month.”
The New York Times reported that his wording suggested the jet could receive additional defensive capabilities to better match older jets used for presidential travel.
Why are people asking about the plane’s defenses?
A reporter traveling with the presidential motorcade pointed to the Qatari jet’s fuselage and said the plane does not have antimissile defense systems, asking why Trump was flying it.
Trump insisted the aircraft already has substantial capability, while confirming a near-term layover for deeper upgrades. Reuters framed the same exchange as a response to questions about whether the new Air Force One lacks missile-defense capabilities.
Those concerns matter because Air Force One is expected to meet the protective standard of the long-serving presidential fleet, not only to move the president from city to city.
Where does the new Air Force One come from?
The jet is a Boeing luxury 747 donated by Qatar. Trump recently used it for overseas travel and was aboard it again while returning to Washington from New Jersey on Sunday.
According to The New York Times, Trump has said he plans to take the aircraft with him for his presidential library when he leaves office. Until then, it is serving as a presidential travel aircraft amid ongoing scrutiny of its security fit-out.
Reuters reported that Trump described the coming work as “maxed out” upgrades, pointing to a fuller defensive package rather than a routine maintenance stop.
What happens next for the jet?
If the timeline Trump described holds, the plane would leave presidential service in roughly a month for about a month of work. Trump did not name the facility or list specific systems in the remarks cited by major outlets.
Until those upgrades are complete, debate over the Qatar gift—and whether the aircraft already matches legacy presidential standards—is likely to continue.