Trump Unveils Red, White and Navy Air Force One, Replacing Six-Decade-Old Kennedy-Era Design

Key Facts

- Date/Location: Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Friday, June 19, 2026 [FOX Sports]

- Aircraft: A Boeing 747-8i donated by the government of Qatar [Devdiscourse] and converted for presidential use

- Color scheme: Navy blue underbelly with a red stripe [Wikipedia] ; white upper section, "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in black letters, and the presidential seal on the fuselage [FOX Sports]

- Cost: Security modifications were previously estimated at under $400 million [MorungExpress]

- Status: Set to begin "commissioning flights," described as a "final exam" for the modification work [ESPN]

- Old fleet: The current VC-25A jets are not being immediately retired and will remain available until the VC-25B aircraft enter service [MorungExpress]

Trump told reporters the most noticeable difference is size — "It's like virtually double the size" [Devdiscourse] — compared to the current fleet. He said roughly 250 people worked around the clock to ready the aircraft [MorungExpress] , and told the crowd inside the Andrews hangar that the plane "was transformed into a flying White House at a level of luxury that nobody has ever seen before." [Wikipedia]

Reporters were given a brief tour showing wood-paneled interiors, gold-toned fixtures, and tan-and-gold seating [Devdiscourse] . On the new color scheme replacing the familiar light blue, Trump said, "We like the baby blue, but it was time for a change," [ESPN] adding that the new flag design on the tail has "the wave in it" [ESPN] rather than the straight stripes of the old livery.

Trump said he pursued the aircraft after growing frustrated with delays to Boeing's replacement program and comparisons between the aging U.S. fleet and newer jets used by foreign governments [Devdiscourse] , reportedly telling Qatar's Emir directly: "I asked the Emir if we could use the brand new 747." [Devdiscourse]

Background

The light-blue livery being replaced was conceived by Jacqueline Kennedy and has been used on Air Force One since 1990 [ESPN] , though the underlying design dates to the Kennedy administration's Boeing 707 in the 1960s [FOX Sports] . Trump first pushed for a red-white-and-blue scheme during his first administration, closely matching his personal aircraft's colors [FOX Sports] , but Joe Biden's administration reversed that decision in March 2023 after an Air Force review found the darker colors could raise costs and delay delivery [FOX Sports] . The Air Force formally announced the new red, white, gold, and dark blue scheme for the broader executive airlift fleet in February [Yahoo Sports] .

What Happens Next

An Air Force spokesperson told the Associated Press details about the two current presidential jets' future use are still being finalized [Wikipedia] , and the Air Force says commissioning flights will begin soon as a final check before the aircraft enters active presidential service [ESPN] .