Trump says U.S. ‘couldn’t build a plane like this’ as Qatari-gifted Air Force One embarks on inaugural flight

U.S. President Donald Trump thanks the emir of Qatar while speaking after the unveiling of the newly designated Air Force One.

As U.S. President Donald Trump boarded his inaugural flight on the new Air Force One, a luxury jet donated by the government of Qatar, he shared his excitement for the new aircraft and its foreign builders, saying the U.S. “couldn’t build a plane like this.”

“I’m excited about the first flight,” he told reporters ahead of his trip to North Dakota on Wednesday for an America 250 celebration.

The new jet, an unconditional gift estimated to be worth about US$400 million, has generated legal, ethical and national security questions. The plane has a new colour scheme — white, red and navy blue — and other changes that make it similar to the personal jet Trump has used for years.

“They just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president, that means the security and all of the different bells and whistles they put on. Very complex now, but it’s really quite something,” Trump said.

The plane has been a source of controversy since it was first revealed that Trump would accept it from Qatar. When the president first announced the gift, a person familiar with the matter told CNN the plan was for the aircraft to be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office. The jet was formally gifted to the Pentagon. CNN has reached out to the White House about what the final plan for the plane is.

Trump, who is expected to use the jet until a new U.S.-built aircraft is finished in about two years, said there has “never been a plane like it.”

“Frankly, we couldn’t build a plane like this because we wouldn’t be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollars,” he said of the Qataris.

Trump also explained Wednesday that he had asked Qatar if he could use their plane “for a period of time” after the head of Boeing told him it was the best one. The president said Qatar’s emir offered to give the plane to the US instead.

Trump unveiled the new jet last month at Joint Base Andrews, calling it “the world’s most luxurious plane.” It has leather seats that recline flat and seatbelts affixed with the presidential seal. The walls and carpets are tan and the light fixtures gold.

Last month, White House officials posted social media farewells to the heavily modified Boeing 747-200, which had flown as Air Force One since 1990.

Two 747-800s are being modified as VC-25Bs to fill the role of Air Force One, in addition to the Qatari jet, to bridge the gap between the old planes and the two additional planes Boeing is modifying that won’t be done for roughly two more years.