ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – It’s a plane fit for a showman.
President Trump debuted his new Air Force One on Wednesday with roomier seats, golden features, and more high-tech amenities than the 20-year-old 747 it replaced.
The Post was on board for the inaugural flight of the newest member of the Air Force fleet, traveling with the president from the White House to the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota.
The $400 million Boeing 747-8, dubbed the “palace in the sky,” was a gift from Qatar and was upgraded to meet the standards — and tastes — of Trump.
Inside, the plane had more legroom for the seats, which now recline and have a built-in massage function.
The individual TVs at each allow you to pick from cable news to the latest offerings on Apple TV. These are changes from the old plane, which had TVs at the front of the cabin and seats that didn’t lay back or have individual chargers for electronics.
The seats themselves are bigger, with the presidential seal on the seat belts. Even the Air Force staff had bigger badges – wearing large round pins with the presidential seal and a name pin.
And physically it’s bigger — 20 feet longer than the previous 747 and a 30-foot-longer wingspan. Plus it features a blue, red, gold and white paint scheme personally selected by the president.
Trump, visibly excited about the plane he picked out, told reporters before takeoff that it’s the “greatest commercial plane ever built.”
“You can low-key it or you can show it. And I think the country should be very proud of it. And it’s beautiful,” Trump said.
He was thrilled with the inaugural flight, bringing along sons Eric and Don Jr. and new daughter-in-law Bettina.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “To be honest with you I’m excited about the first flight.”
But, for all his excitement, he spent the three-hour flight working in his new office, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Post, saying he was on calls for most of the flight and spent the last 20 minutes reviewing the speech he’d give later in the day.
Reporters traveling with the president were only allowed to photograph the name card that was on their seat and the meal that was served – a ham and cheese breakfast sandwich served on china with a side of dragon fruit salad.
But White House staff posted pictures from their area of the plane, showing off its large new conference room and sofa seating. Photos of monuments decorate the walls.
The interior of the new plane — a gift from the Qatari government — is in soft shades of brown, beige and cream, from the tan walls to the beige carpet. Fitting with the president’s taste, there are gold light fixtures.
A curtain separated the press area from the rest of the plane so staff and the Secret Service wouldn’t be subject to the eyes of the media during the flight.
There were signs of its newness on this first flight – the headphones had never been used and were still pristine in their boxes. Blankets came wrapped in plastic wrap. Travelers were gently reminded to keep the new plane neat and tidy.
The presidential M&Ms — in their signature box with Trump’s signature — remained the same. But travelers were also given a box of chocolates. The white box featured the presidential seal and a red ribbon.
Trump faced some criticism in accepting the plane as a gift but he brushed that off, telling reporters on Wednesday the plane came from “a country that’s treated us very well.”
There were also questions about its level of security given its foreign origins.
But a senior administration official told The Post the plane was thoroughly vetted with counterintelligence measures and underwent a safety review,
“We are confident the aircraft is safe, secure, and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet the requirements of the presidential mission,” the official said.
The president plans to get plenty of use out of his new plane. He’ll be back on board Friday to travel to South Dakota for a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore. On Saturday, July 4th, the plane will fly over the White House and Capitol to mark Independence Day.
The new Air Force One will be used on Trump’s next foreign trip when he flies to Turkey next week for the NATO summit. Trump noted he will also take it when he goes to China in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
