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Trump’s use of the new red, white and navy blue aircraft has
faced much scrutiny not only because it was gifted by a foreign
government, but also because it appears to not be equipped with
some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems as
the older jets.
But it came under deeper scrutiny this month when he left the
NATO summit in Turkey on the older, baby blue Air Force One and
made a previously unscheduled stop at a base in the United
Kingdom. Trump then swapped back onto the new Qatari-gifted
plane at Royal Air Force Mildenhall.
“The new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the President’s
travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements
in the fall which will take approximately one month to
complete,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said
Monday. “During that time, the President will fly on the old Air
Force One.”
The statement from Leavitt elaborated on a comment from the
president as he returned to Washington on Sunday night, when he
told reporters that the new plane will be sent to be “maxed
out.”
Trump claimed earlier this month that the stop in the United
Kingdom was so U.S. troops at Mildenhall could look at the new
plane. He denied to reporters that the jet switch was due to
security concerns, although he also said that he has a threat
against him “all the time” and is Iran’s “No. 1” target.
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