U.S. President Donald Trump said the Qatari-donated jet that has served as Air Force One will be sent for upgrades, as concerns mount over the plane’s security features.
Stepping off the plane on his return from the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday, Trump was asked about the newly renovated plane’s missile-defence capabilities.
“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 at Joint Base Andrews.
“They’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month,” he added.
As CNN has reported, concerns about the new, US$400 million Qatari-gifted jet have come into focus since earlier this month when Trump unexpectedly ditched the jet during his return from a NATO summit in Turkiye and said he was sending the new plane ahead to Mildenhall air base in England.
Trump said the change in planes was simply to give U.S. service members stationed at the base “a chance to tour the Aircraft.”
As CNN also reported, two U.S. officials said security personnel felt more comfortable with the president aboard an older plane –– which was built from scratch with the commander-in-chief’s safety in mind — rather than the plane that had recently been retrofitted after it was donated by Qatar.
Two sources familiar with the matter said the newer plane did not possess the same capabilities to ensure its safety in international settings, though a third said it was equipped with many of the same features as the older plane.
Security concerns surrounding the plane were previously reported by the New York Times.
As CNN reported, a major White House investigation was launched to identify who in the government leaked information about these security deficiencies, with some officials being asked to turn over their phones to investigators on White House grounds, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. It came as Trump had fumed over the disclosures, sources said.
By Laura Sharman and Christina Asencio, CNN
