Trump says new Air Force One getting more capabilities soon

Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg News on Jul 19, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

President Donald Trump said a Boeing Co. 747-8 gifted by Qatar serving as the stopgap Air Force One will be outfitted with additional security features later this year.

The remarks appear to acknowledge the retrofitted plane, which Trump began using earlier this month, may lack some of the defensive measures and capabilities of its predecessor.

“It has a lot of capability but, as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,” Trump told reporters Sunday night after landing back in Washington from New Jersey. “They’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month.”

Trump raised eyebrows at the recent summit of NATO leaders in Turkey when he boarded the older Air Force One for a flight to the U.K.

His administration has bristled at questions about the new Air Force One’s potential shortcomings, going so far as to subpoena New York Times reporters over a story related to the matter. The paper has refused to let its reporters testify in front of a federal grand jury.

The Qatar-gifted jet is meant to serve as a temporary Air Force One until the new-generation planes are ready to enter service.