Trump's 2025 Air Force One Push Drove Higher Costs, Cut Safety Margins
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 25
Trump's 2025 Air Force One Push Drove Higher Costs, Cut Safety Margins
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 25
Summary
A New York Times investigation found Trump’s push to get a replacement Air Force One by the nation’s 250th birthday this summer triggered rising retrofit costs and safety compromises.
The rush began after Trump toured a Qatari royal family Boeing 747-8 in February 2025 and chose it as a temporary presidential aircraft while Boeing’s two long-delayed replacements remained unfinished.
That decision set off a scramble across the White House, Pentagon and Air Force to accelerate upgrades on the luxury jet, potentially leaving Trump and other passengers more vulnerable.
The episode underscores how Trump’s deadline reshaped a stopgap aircraft plan into a high-speed retrofit with broader implications for presidential security and procurement oversight.