Trump plans to take Qatar’s gifted jet to Ireland despite security concerns

Donald Trump intends to take the Boeing jet gifted by Qatar to Ireland next week. The trip would mark the aircraft’s first departure from the United States since questions emerged over whether it could adequately protect the president from attack.

A senior administration official told The Washington Post that the decision comes weeks after Trump said the plane would remain grounded for about a month while it received unspecified security upgrades. The administration has not disclosed what changes, if any, were made.

The concerns intensified after Trump’s last overseas trip on the aircraft, to a NATO summit in Turkey in July. Officials learned of a possible Iranian threat in Ankara and moved Trump onto a separate, older aircraft through a catering truck. The plane he had originally boarded continued flying as a decoy.

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We don’t comment on specific upgrades or modifications to Air Force One. We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, senior aides and the traveling press pool remained aboard the original flight. The journalists were not told about the threat and were asked to keep their window shades closed. The episode later became the subject of a Netflix mini-documentary and prompted accusations that Trump had treated officials and reporters as expendable to protect himself.

The two custom-built aircraft intended eventually to serve as Air Force One remain unfinished after years of delays. Those planes were designed with elaborate missile-defense systems, while the $400 million Qatar jet has never been confirmed to offer comparable protection. A senior administration official nevertheless called it “the greatest presidential plane ever built.”

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It is the greatest presidential plane ever built.