Donald Trump presented the new Air Force One that he will use on his trips
Donald Trump already has a newer, better-equipped Air Force One to transport him on his work tours in and out of the US.
President Donald Trump presented Air Force One, which will replace the two aircraft used for more than three decades to transport US leaders on duty.
The plane, identified by the Air Force as VC-25B Bridge, was a gift that the Qatari royal family gave to the 80-year-old president in May of last year.
During Trump's work tour in the Middle East, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad presented him with a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet worth around $400 million.
The argument was that it could replace Air Force One for the rest of its mandate, since structurally the aircraft was already old compared to the advantages offered by the latest generation models.
Although the US Constitution allows presidents to receive gifts from other leaders or governments, there is a limit and the plane in question far exceeded it.
"I don't know why people consider it a bribe or that Qatar is trying to buy influence with this administration. We have to overcome this stereotype.
The gift was made with total transparency and in a very legal manner. “Many nations have given things to the United States,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar, said last July.
After making a wide range of adjustments and modifications, this Friday, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump presented the plane transformed into Air Force One.
"There will never be another like it. It is unique. It is considered the most luxurious plane in the world. When it was built, it was done to a level of quality that will probably never be seen again," he told a large group of media representatives.
The change in the aircraft is impactful even from its new color combination: red, white, gold and navy blue, which represents a change from the previous two lighter shades of blue.
It was revealed that the new Air Force One will fly over Washington on July 4, the date on which the nation's 250th anniversary is commemorated.
Through a statement, the Air Force announced that last year it leased a 747-8 aircraft so that pilots and maintenance personnel could train.
"The aircraft has entered service to provide safe and crucial continuity for the commander in chief. The aircraft is safe, reliable and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission," says part of the letter.