Apparently, Air Force One isn’t opulent enough for President Trump – so he’s having a new Trump Force One built, and it’s… gold. Really, really gold.
The commander in chief is getting an L3Harris jet decked out with suites, plush carpeting, leather couches and more, which once listed for about $400 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The interior of the opulent plane was done by famed French interior design firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet — and boasts gold-colored walls and gold furnishings.
Trump reportedly turned toward the contractor after Boeing told the administration it wouldn’t be able to replace the president’s Air Force One fleet until after he left the presidency.
This opulent new airplane wouldn’t be a new Air Force One, mind you; that handle belongs to any one of the United States Air Force aircraft designated as the president’s primary aircraft, although any aircraft containing the president carries the call sign “Air Force One” or “Marine One” as appropriate.
This will be a privately owned aircraft. Trump Force One, if you like. It’s unclear just how this fancy new bird would (or could) be used to transport a sitting president, as any of the craft normally used for this purpose is loaded with sophisticated communications gear and anti-air countermeasures; the new Trump Force One would have to be set up with all of that specialized equipment.
The Air Force has not dealt with this kind of thing before, but then, we’ve never had a president before who was fabulously wealthy before he held political office. During the campaign, President Trump hit the campaign trail in his original Trump Force One, and this new bird looks to be an upgrade.
Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! AF One Flies Above Daytona, Trump Takes ‘The Beast’ Round the Track
Have a look:
This is a fancy airplane indeed, and certainly looks to be a reflection of Donald Trump’s well-known tastes in decorating. Gold, gold, and more gold.
The president was driven to take this unprecedented action because of problems with the replacement of the current presidential fleet.
Trump reportedly turned toward the contractor after Boeing told the administration it wouldn’t be able to replace the president’s Air Force One fleet until after he left the presidency.
The fleet has been around since the George H.W. Bush administration and requires heavy maintenance, but Boeing has reportedly fallen too far behind on the $3.9 billion project that it now projects a completion date of 2035.
The only other person currently holding any position in the federal government who could afford to commission his own personal jumbo jet would seem to be Elon Musk, and given the design of his Cybertruck, which looks like someone gave a bunch of aluminium foil to a toddler, it’s hard to imagine what he may come up with.
Here’s an interesting side note: There have been some among the commentariat who criticize America’s use of the air fleet that includes the various craft that can serve as Air Force One. They criticize the expense, the pretentiousness, and so forth. Fine. Let them criticize. Let the national leaders of Sweden, Belize, Liechtenstein, and Thailand fly coach on their respective national airlines. We’re the United States of Everlovin’ America, baby, and when Air Force One comes in for a landing and the presidential Tank rolls up to take our national leader someplace, the whole world knows America is there.
So, yes, for once, the federal government is spending our money on something worthwhile.
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