Trump takes first trip on Qatari-gifted Air Force One

Washington — President Trump is traveling Wednesday to North Dakota in what marks his first trip aboard the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 luxury plane gifted to the U.S. by the Qatari government last year. The president unveiled the $400 million plane earlier this month, which is replacing the military-grade 747-2 that has served presidents for more than 30 years. The Qatari-gifted plane is expected to be used until a new fleet of Boeing planes are delivered to the Air Force in 2028. On the trip to North Dakota, Mr. Trump is set to participate in a train ride and welcome ceremony to mark America's 250th anniversary, followed by a visit to the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library . Speaking at Joint Base Andrews ahead of the trip, the president marked the moment, saying, "This will be the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built." President Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One for his first flight aboard the Boeing 747-8 that Qatar gifted the United States to use for executive travel, at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, July 1, 2026. SAUL LOEB /AFP via Getty Images "I'm excited about the first flight. Nobody's ever seen anything like it," Mr. Trump said. "They just completed it, they made it appropriate for a president — that means the security and all the different bells and whistles they put on — very complex stuff. …