Examining report Pentagon secretly transferred $934M to renovate Trump's new Air Force One
Trump said on Truth Social in May that the plane was a gift for the Department of Defense (DOD), not him personally, and that it would "replace" the current Air Force One. According to the Times, the DOD would use the $934 million, taken from a yearslong project to update the U.S.'s ground-based nuclear missiles, to renovate the plane to Air Force One standards. The $934 million transfer was for an "unnamed classified project," according to the Times report.
Following the New York Times article, claims (archived) circulated online about the alleged transfer, referencing (archived) the Times article.
One X user wrote, "Retrofitting Trump's 747-8 luxury jet bribe from Qatar might cost taxpayers $934 million (!!!)" above a screenshot from the article.
The claim also circulated on Instagram (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers also wrote in asking about the claim.
However, while the New York Times article cited by social media users spreading claims about the alleged $934 million transfer was authentic, Snopes has not independently verified the document the New York Times said showed the alleged transfer. The article cited unnamed Air Force sources who reportedly "privately" conceded that the Air Force was using funds originally meant for the Sentinel land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) project to pay for the renovation of the new Air Force One. Snopes has not been able to independently verify this information.
We reached out to the New York Times journalists who wrote the article to ask if they could share verifiable details about the alleged transfer such as the document mentioned in the article. We also reached out to the Air Force to ask if it could confirm the Times' report. We await replies to our queries.
According to the New York Times, the $934 million allegedly earmarked for refurbishing Trump's gifted Boeing 747 came as a "mysterious" transfer from what it described as "one of the Pentagon's most over-budget, out-of-control projects": the program to replace the U.S.'s Minuteman III ICBMs with Sentinel ICBMs. In 2024, the Pentagon estimated that project would cost $140.9 billion, 81% more than its original cost estimate of $77.7 billion.
Land-based ICBMs are part of the "nuclear triad," three systems including submarines and bombers that can carry nuclear weapons.
Air Force officials "privately acknowledge dipping into nuclear modernization funds for the complex project," according to the report, with "complex project" referring to the renovation of the gifted Boeing 747.
On June 5, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a House Armed Services Committee that the renovation would likely cost "less than $400 million" despite numbers as high as $1 billion being "thrown around." Actual estimates, according to the New York Times, are classified.
Snopes previously reported on the original offer from Qatar to gift the plane to the U.S. Department of Defense. We also reported on rumors that the Biden administration started negotiations for the plane or that former U.S. President Barack Obama received his own plane during his presidency.
Lopez, C. Todd. "Sentinel Land-Based Nuclear Modernization Program Will Continue, With Changes." U.S. Department of Defense, 10 Jul. 2024, https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3834502/sentinel-land-based-nuclear-modernization-program-will-continue-with-changes/.
@realDonaldTrump. "So the Fact That the Defense Department Is Getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE." Truth Social, 12 May 2025, https://archive.ph/NJ1E6.
Sanger, David E., and Eric Schmitt. "What Will It Cost to Renovate the 'Free' Air Force One? Don't Ask." The New York Times, 27 Jul. 2025, https://archive.ph/BLyal.
"Sentinel ICBM." Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, 28 Jul. 2025, https://www.afnwc.af.mil/Weapon-Systems/Sentinel-ICBM-LGM-35A/.
U.S. House Armed Services Committee. "Full Committee Hearing: 'Department of the Air Force Fiscal Year 2026 Posture.'" YouTube, 5 Jun. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/live/CzE-SHKgPps?t=4901s.
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