The new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8i model donated to President Trump by the Qatari government. [AP]
The new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8i model donated to President Trump by the Qatari government. [AP]

US President Donald Trump has stirred controversy by floating plans to display the Qatar-gifted Air Force One — valued at around $400 million — at a presidential library bearing his name after he leaves office. Analysts say the idea faces enough political and administrative obstacles that the jet is unlikely to ever go on display there.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Trump's plan to use the Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8i as a centerpiece exhibit at a future presidential library remains far from certain.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday before boarding the Boeing 747-8 Air Force One donated by Qatar for use as a presidential transport. [AFP]
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday before boarding the Boeing 747-8 Air Force One donated by Qatar for use as a presidential transport. [AFP]

The Journal said the plan fits a broader pattern in Trump's second term of attaching his name and image to public facilities and government programs, describing the library display idea as an extension of that effort.

Library display plan: 'The design and colors suit my taste perfectly'

The new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8i model donated to President Trump by the Qatari government. [Reuters]
The new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8i model donated to President Trump by the Qatari government. [Reuters]

Trump wants the jet displayed at a presidential library under construction in downtown Miami after he leaves office, following the precedent set by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, which houses a retired Air Force One.

Two next-generation Air Force One aircraft that Trump ordered from Boeing during his first term in 2017 are scheduled for delivery in mid-2028. Once those planes enter service, the Qatar-donated jet's role is expected to diminish — making it a candidate for library display, according to the plan.

The Qatari government gifted Trump the Boeing 747 jumbo jet last May during his Middle East tour, intending it for use as Air Force One. The aircraft's $400 million price tag immediately sparked debate over whether a US president should accept such a lavish gift.

Trump brushed off the controversy, saying "it would be stupid not to accept it."

He then unveiled the new presidential aircraft at a large hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, near Washington, D.C., on June 19.

Unlike the previous Air Force One's subdued powder-blue livery, the Boeing 747 jumbo jet is painted in bold navy, red, gold and white. The presidential seal is emblazoned near the boarding door, and a large American flag covers the rear fuselage.

Trump expressed satisfaction, saying the jet is "twice the size of the old Air Force One" and that "the design and colors suit my taste perfectly," adding that it had been transformed into a "flying White House" of unmatched luxury that "nobody has ever seen before."

He went on to say, "Now when we land at an airport in London or Germany or anywhere, nobody can top this," adding, "This is what our country needs."

Opposition from both parties — and a daunting logistics problem

The new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8i model donated to President Trump by the Qatari government, takes off. [Reuters]
The new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8i model donated to President Trump by the Qatari government, takes off. [Reuters]

In practice, displaying Air Force One at a presidential library is widely seen as far-fetched. Successive presidents after Trump may still need the aircraft, and opposition to transferring a state-gifted jet to a personal memorial has come from both Democrats and some Republicans. There is also the physical challenge of installing a roughly 76-meter aircraft inside a high-rise building in the middle of a city.

Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney moved on June 24 to amend the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act to prohibit transferring the Qatari jet to any individual or private institution. Should Democrats retake the House or Senate majority in the midterm elections scheduled for November, they could push legislation to block the transfer outright.

The US Air Force spent $400 million outfitting the Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8 with security systems and military communications equipment.

Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies at the Air Force Association, said military aircraft are typically retired only when they no longer serve a military need. "The primary question is whether the military still has a continuing requirement for the aircraft," he said.


yckim6452@heraldcorp.com