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News.com.au
a day ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Bombshell report exposes Donald Trump's $1b dilemma
Safety? Security? Or comfort? That's the $1 billion decision that confronted US President Donald Trump with his new Air Force One. It is a $US400 million personal gift from Qatar's royal family: a gold-plated, cushion-festooned, custom-made Boeing 747 'flying palace'. It is an alternative to Trump's 35-year-old, 'unimpressive' Boeing 747 flying White House. And a replacement for the often-delayed successors he personally ordered back in 2017. But there's a problem. Air Force One is designed to serve as an airborne military headquarters. From its decks, a President must be fully informed and fully in command of the United States' air, sea and land nuclear arsenal. And he must be protected from missiles, electromagnetic pulse and nuclear fallout. But President Trump does not want a mobile command centre. He wants to fly between the White House and his Mar-a-Lago estate in a mobile presidential palace. 'When you land and you see Saudi Arabia and you see UAE and you can see Qatar and you see all these — they have these brand-new Boeing 747s, mostly,' Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an April interview aboard Air Force One. 'And you see ours next to it … It's much smaller, it's much less impressive — as impressive as it is.' He'd already encountered the Qatari flying palace. In February, members of the royal family flew into Palm Beach, Florida, to congratulate Trump on his reelection. Now the diversion of almost $US1 billion to a Pentagon 'black project' may be a sign of the actual cost of bringing their extravagant gift up to specification. 'No one wants to discuss a mysterious, $US934 million transfer of funds from one of the Pentagon's most over-budget, out-of-control projects — the modernisation of America's aging, ground-based nuclear missiles,' a new report from the New York Times states. 'Congressional budget sleuths have come to think that amount, slipped into an obscure Pentagon document sent to Capitol Hill as a 'transfer' to an unnamed classified project, almost certainly includes the renovation' of the jet that has been described as a palace in the sky.' Sky-high ambitions 'Trump's concerns about Air Force One seem less focused on safety and security and more on size and opulence,' says University of Dayton aviation historian Professor Janet Bednarek. 'His longing for a 'palace in the sky' is befitting for a president drawn to soaring skyscrapers, lavish parades and gold ornamentation.' President Trump has a long history of complaining about Air Force One. While it's acceptable for the US Air Force to rely upon 70-year-old Boeing B-52 bombers, that's not the case for the White House. And the existing Boeings, based on the 747-200B model, have been flying since the 1990s. Its colours are all wrong. It may have a streak of Trump's signature gold among the traditional white and soft blue. But Trump wants a bold new maroon and dark blue look. It's too utilitarian. He complains it's more like a flying White House Oval Office than a Presidential Palace suite. 'I believe that we should have the most impressive plane,' Trump told US media in April. But that's not the same as the most effective plane. Armour. Electronic shielding. Sensitive and secure communications. Accommodation for command, medical and serving staff Overpowered engines. All must be added before an aircraft can meet the minimum requirements of protecting—and empowering—a sitting US president. Trump has taken an unusually hands-on approach to replacing this Presidential status symbol since stepping into the Oval Office for his first term on January 20, 2017. One of his first acts was to commission replacements for the existing fleet. But that project is over budget and behind schedule. 'No, I'm not happy with Boeing,' he said immediately upon taking office in February this year. 'There's no excuse for it… I would not consider Airbus over Boeing, but I could buy one that was used and convert it.' He was clearly thinking of the personal tour he had been given by the Qatari royal family of its 13-year-old 747 at Palm Beach International Airport just days earlier. Then, on May 21, the US Department of Defence announced it had accepted the gift of a Boeing 747-8 on behalf of the President from Qatar. 'No cost' to US taxpayer 'I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,' Trump said in May. 'I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'' The President appeared to think it would be an immediate replacement for his existing ride. 'It's going to be a couple of years, I think, before the (new) Boeings are finished,' he said. Earlier this month, Trump hosted the Qatar royal family's prime minister at the White House for a private dinner. The Pentagon has since confirmed the transfer of the aircraft will come at 'no cost' to the United States. But not its renovation. 'I think there has been a number thrown around on the order of $1 billion,' US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a Congressional hearing in June. 'But a lot of those costs associated with that are costs that we'd have experienced anyway (with the new Boeing aircraft) … So it wouldn't be anywhere near that.' With the money allocated for the new aircraft diverted, Mink said the additional cost of renovating the Qatari 747 would be about $US400 million. But it now appears the real price may be the effectiveness and readiness of the US nuclear shield. The mysterious $US934 million funds transfer originates from the $US125 billion Pentagon Sentinel project, tasked with modernising US silo-based nuclear missiles. That project began in 2020. It's also facing cost blowouts and significant delays. 'The security implications of accepting a private plane from a foreign nation as Air Force One and the resulting ethical concerns a gift of that size creates were already significant,' Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen told US media overnight. 'This administration is diverting funds from the nuclear modernisation budget to finance costly renovations to this plane. (This is) weakening our credibility to fund a vanity project for President Trump.' Vanity versus validity 'The security measures needed to safely transport the president – especially during wartime – spurred the creation of the first custom-built aircraft for presidential use,' explains Professor Bednarek. That aircraft was a propeller-driven USAF VC-54 Skymaster modified to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its official name was 'The Flying White House'. But it was best known as the 'Sacred Cow.' The first Presidential jet was a Boeing 707 used by President John F. Kennedy. The First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, helped establish the light-blue-and-white colour scheme that has since become the standard look. 'Air Force One has long served as a symbol of the power and prestige of the presidency,' Professor Bednarek adds. President Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One as it flew President Kennedy's body back to Washington DC. President Richard Nixon took off aboard Air Force One on August 8, 1974, to return to his California home. It landed as Flight SAM 27000 - his Presidency having ended mid-flight. But Trump wants to elevate this Presidential icon to new heights. He personally met with Boeing executives and engineers at the White House immediately upon taking office in 2017. Within a month, he had a $US4.2 billion fixed-price deal: 'We got that price down by over $1 billion'. 'Air Force One is going to be incredible,' Trump explained. 'It's going to be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it's going to be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate.' Soaring costs 'There's your new Air Force One,' Trump proclaimed in 2019, pointing to a Boeing mock-up of the future plane. 'I'm doing that for other presidents, not for me.' Details of the new-build presidential aircraft are top secret. And therefore sketchy. Better protection. More secure communications. A complete emergency surgery suite. The manufacturer has had to extend the lifetime of its decommissioned 747 production line to build the two new special edition airframes. The aircraft, first entering service in 1969, has been replaced by the newer, smaller Boeing 777. So it's little surprise that the VC-25B (a heavily modified version of its defunct commercial 747-8i) has suffered delays and cost overruns. Boeing has attributed this to the fact that it has struggled to retain and find suitable technicians, as well as obtain the necessary security clearance for them. The project is already $US2 billion over budget. And Boeing must continue to absorb the cost of any further changes. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun admitted in a 2022 presentation to investors that the deal had been a disaster for his company and that it should never have been agreed upon. The first jet is now due to be completed in 2027, followed by the second a year later. But there may be further delays. Trump's proposed colour scheme reverted to a more traditional look under President Biden. But Trump celebrated his Inauguration in February with a cake decked out with an Air Force One in his preferred look. This will have engineering consequences. Dark colours absorb much more heat. And that will impact ultra-sensitive weapons systems, infra-red sensors and radar transmitters. Dark paints are also thicker and heavier. And that added weight and drag have a noticeable impact on high-performance aircraft. And whatever space and weight are needed for new gold-plated fittings and opulent accommodations must come from the aircraft's command centre functions, emergency surgery, and protective systems. Meanwhile, analysts say the $934 billion refurbishment of the Qatari gift 747 is likely to take at least two years, assuming no delays or cost overruns. And Trump has promised it will be donated to the Trump Presidential Museum upon the end of his Presidency. Constitutionally, that is due in January 2029.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Examining report Pentagon secretly transferred $934M to renovate Trump's new Air Force One
In late July 2025, reporters from The New York Times discovered a "mysterious" transfer of $934 million that they claimed would be used to renovate the Boeing 747 plane U.S. President Donald Trump received as a gift from Qatar earlier that year. 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, @realDonaldTrump. "So the Fact That the Defense Department Is Getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE." Truth Social, 12 May 2025, 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, "Sentinel ICBM." Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, 28 Jul. 2025, U.S. House Armed Services Committee. "Full Committee Hearing: 'Department of the Air Force Fiscal Year 2026 Posture.'" YouTube, 5 Jun. 2025,
USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Qatar's luxury jet gift to Trump is 'unconditional donation,' signed agreement says
According to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari officials, the free Boeing 747 is a "bona fide gift." WASHINGTON − Qatar's gift to the White House of a luxury jumbo jet to serve as President Donald Trump's Air Force One is an "unconditional donation," according to a memorandum of understanding signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari officials and viewed by USA TODAY. The plane is a "bona fide gift" made in "good faith and in the spirit of cooperation," and is not contingent upon "any past, present or future official act or decision," according to the memo. The Defense Department will be responsible for the plane's operation and maintenance, it says. More: With $37 million and a jet, Trump's presidential library takes off, Eric Trump as pilot The memo was signed by Hegseth and Qatar's deputy prime minister and defense minister and dated July 7. The $400-million gift from Qatar was announced as Trump visited the country on a trip to the Middle East in May. The Pentagon said later that month that Hegseth had officially accepted it; the Washington Post reported on July 25 that a final agreement in fact has yet to be reached. Trump intends the Boeing 747 to become his new Air Force One, at least until sluggish repairs on other suitable planes can be completed. When Trump no longer needs it or after he leaves office, the plane will be transferred to his presidential library, the White House has said. That process will require millions of dollars in renovations to ensure it meets the requirements of a plane carrying the president, including installing special security equipment and checking for spy devices. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told Congress in June the process would cost "probably less than $400 million," but Democratic lawmakers and experts have estimated the cost at $1 billion or more. The New York Times reported on July 27 that $934 million was pulled from a financially fraught program to revamp the U.S.'s aging nuclear missile stockpile to fix up the plane. The gift united critics from across the political spectrum, ranging from top Democrats to MAGA influencers like Trump confidante Laura Loomer. Democratic lawmakers said it smelled of corruption and called it a violation of constitutional rules barring U.S. officials from accepting gifts from foreign heads of state. "This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said in a speech in May. "I trust Qatar like I trust a rest-stop bathroom," Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, told Fox News. Justice Department sued over memo greenlighting gift A press freedom organization sued the Justice Department on July 28 for refusing to release a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi that greenlit the gift as "legally permissible," according to court documents. The Freedom of the Press Foundation requested the memo under the Freedom of Information Act in mid-May, but was told by the Justice Department that it would be under wraps until Jan. 25, 2027, according to the complaint. Trump's acceptance of the plane was "bolstered by Attorney General Bondi's memorandum reportedly finding no legal impediment to the Administration's acceptance of the jet," attorneys for the plaintiff wrote.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What Makes Boeing's Doomsday Plane Different From Air Force One?
As the iconic Boeing 747 is on its final flight path to obsolescence, there are only a few airlines still flying them. Yet oddly enough, a handful of old 747s remain some of the most important aircraft in the country. There are modified versions of the aircraft used for both Air Force One and the so-called "Doomsday Plane" that's designed to be sort of a flying Pentagon in case of nuclear war. How old are these aircraft? The two planes serving as Air Force One have been transporting U.S. presidents around the world since the 20th century, with President George H.W. Bush taking his first flights in both in 1990. With aircraft that old, it's no wonder former Pizza Hut spokesperson Donald Trump is desperate to fly on a new Air Force One. And the Doomsday editions have been around even longer. Needless to say, it's hard to get parts for these out-of-production planes, which makes it hard to service them in a timely manner, and although they're still considered safe, they've served well past their expected life cycles. Boeing had contracted for new Air Force One planes under the Obama administration, but delays in the program and problems with other Boeing aircraft seem to have left that project up in the air. Which means the old Air Force One and Doomsday Planes are still up in the air, playing two very different roles. Read more: These Movies And TV Shows Have The Best Car Casting A Quick Look At Air Force One The two jets that serve as Air Force One started life as Boeing 747-200B airliners; the Air Force uses the designation VC-25A for the planes after they've been modified for presidential use. Technically, "Air Force One" is the radio call sign for a plane only when the president is on board; otherwise, they go by their tail numbers: 28000 and 29000. Now, Air Force One does have some (classified) defense systems, including some that hide the jet engines' heat signature from missiles, as well as other countermeasures meant to misdirect the missiles' flight. Its communications capabilities have been beefed up, too. But Air Force One is really about providing a place where the president can relax and/or do business while in the air. For starters, it can hold up to 71 passengers with an executive suite for the commander in chief, complete with its own shower. You'll also find a main conference room, smaller meeting rooms, and a medical suite (staffed by a flight surgeon and registered nurse). If folks get hungry, Air Force One has two galleys that can prepare 100 meals at a time. For the long haul, there are enough ingredients on board for 2,000 meals, and the aircraft can refuel while in flight. Escape pods? Those are only for movies so far, but maybe one will be added to Trump's so-called "free" plane from Qatar. A Quick Look At The Doomsday Plane First off, the Air Force doesn't officially refer to the E-4B -- another militarized version of the 747-200 -- as "Doomsday" anything. It's the Night Watch or, when it's on duty, the National Airborne Operations Center; its mission is to essentially act as the country's military command center in case the ground-based ones are destroyed in a nuclear war, zombie apocalypse, or other calamity. There are actually four of these planes now in service, all of which became operational in 1974. Due to the nature of their role, the exact details of the Night Watch aircraft are classified, of course, but there are a few general overviews out there. Based out of Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, the E-4Bs can fit up to 111 people, and one is on duty around the clock. Inside, the main deck is split into different stations with vague names like command center, conference room, communications room, etc. The E-4Bs also have their share of fancy defensive countermeasures. Perhaps the key difference is that the Nightwatch — unlike Air Force One — is shielded from thermal radiation and electromagnetic pulses (EMPs). That's good news considering how eager AI is to launch nukes when global trouble starts. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Renovating Trump's 'Free' Qatari Jet Is Going Great, Just Don't Ask About The Mysterious $934 Million Transfer No One Wants To Talk About
It may feel like it's already been years, but in reality, the news that President Trump decided to accept a "free" Boeing 747 from the nation of Qatar is only a couple of months old. It's no secret that, in order to use the plane as Air Force One, it will require an expensive and thorough renovation. How much are taxpayers actually spending on Trump's "free" plane, though? Well, that's classified, but it also sounds like early estimates of nearly a billion dollars may have actually been pretty accurate, the New York Times reports. Apparently, the Pentagon mysteriously transferred $934 million out of its nuclear missile modernization budget into "an unnamed classified project" that "congressional budget sleuths" believe "almost certainly includes the renovation of" Trump's allegedly free plane. We can't know for sure that money will be used on Trump's plane, and even if it is, they may not use the entire $934 million to renovate the plane, but according to the Times, Air Force officials have previously mentioned using money already allocated for nuclear modernization to turn the Qatari jet into a useable Air Force One. It's also important to remember that the current plan isn't for the U.S. government to keep the plane. Instead, it will supposedly be transferred to Trump's presidential library (which, notably, still doesn't exist) when Trump leaves office. So while work on the plane will reportedly begin soon, it will likely take at least a year, if not two, to get it ready for duty. That leaves very little time for Trump to use it as Air Force One. He is, after all, constitutionally ineligible to serve another term as President, at least if you go based on what the words in the Constitution say. Read more: These Are Your Favorite Factory Exhaust Designs Free For Trump, At Least When he was asked about the ethics of the whole plane thing back in May, Trump said, "I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'" Which is great, except for the part where the American taxpayers are footing the bill for a plane the federal government won't even get to keep once Trump leaves office. As the Times put it: It is free in the sense that a used car handed over by a neighbor looking to get it out of his driveway is free. In this case, among the many modifications will be hardened communications, antimissile systems and engine capabilities to take the president quickly to safety as one of the older Air Force Ones did on Sept. 11, 2001, when Al Qaeda attacked the United States. And there is the delicate matter of ridding the jet of any hidden electronic listening devices that U.S. officials suspect may be embedded in the walls. Then, of course, it has to be stuffed with the luxuries — and gold trim — with which the 47th president surrounds himself, whether he is in the Oval Office or in the air. The jet's upper deck has a lounge and a communications center, while the main bedroom can be converted into a flying sick bay in a medical emergency. After spending all that money on refitting the Qatari jet for Trump to use as Air Force One for maybe a year or two, the federal government will still have to pay for the two Air Force One planes already on order. You know, since Trump's plan is to take the Qatari jet with him when he leaves office. So every dime spent on this plane is an extra cost to taxpayers to make Trump happy. Officially, We're Still Saving Last month, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink told Congress not to worry about the cost of the "free" Qatari jet. "I think there has been a number thrown around on the order of $1 billion, but a lot of those costs associated with that are costs that we'd have experienced anyway," Meink told lawmakers. "We will just experience them early. So it wouldn't be anywhere near that. We believe the actual retrofit of that aircraft is probably less than $400 million." That doesn't exactly track, considering we, again, still have to pay for the two other Air Force Ones already on order, and the federal government won't keep the Qatari jet after Trump leaves office. But the Times also cites "engineers and Air Force experts who have been through similar projects" and still don't buy that budget estimate. And when pressed for more details last week, the Air Force said it couldn't discuss the cost of the project because it's classified. As the Times points out, though, "the Air Force is willing to discuss the cost of building a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles, but not the cost of renovating the president's aircraft." Curious. As Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat who sits on the Armed Services Committee, told the Times, "The more we learn about this deal, the more disturbing it becomes. The security implications of accepting a private plane from a foreign nation as Air Force One and the resulting ethical concerns a gift of that size creates were already significant." Beyond that, though, Shaheen said they're worried "this administration is diverting funds from the nuclear modernization budget to finance costly renovations to this plane," and that "we're weakening our credibility to fund a vanity project for President Trump." Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
