Trump mulls inaugural flight of new Air Force One at Mount Rushmore event

President Donald Trump is considering taking the inaugural flight of the new Air Force One jet, gifted to him from Qatar, when he travels to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota next month as part of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary, according to a senior White House official and a source familiar with the plans. No final decision has been made, but months of retrofitting the $400 million luxury jet to serve as the presidential aircraft are nearly complete, the sources said. They said White House officials have been discussing the possibility of making Trump’s planned July 3 trip to Mount Rushmore his first flight on the new aircraft. The Defense Department accepted the donation from Qatar last year, despite fierce bipartisan criticism and questions surrounding the security and ethics of using the plane for official government business. Aviation experts estimated the whole project could cost over $1 billion to overhaul due to the installation of multiple top-secret systems. The White House has said the jet would be handed over to Trump’s presidential library foundation by the end of his term, in January 2029. That would presumably require the removal of all the sensitive government equipment installed on the aircraft. Trump’s appearance at Mount Rushmore is one of several high-profile events around July 4 to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. The plane is going through final flight checkups and testing to ensure it can be ready to take off for the first time with the president aboard next month, the sources said. The Boeing 747 has been painted with a new color scheme, sporting a red, white and blue design, in a departure from the current “Jackie Kennedy” design featuring robin’s egg blue and white. Air Force One is the designation given to any plane carrying the president, so there are several aircraft that can become available to do so, according to a U.S. official. That includes two 747 jumbo jets in use right now, known as VC-25As. Additionally, there is a fleet of C-32A aircraft that are modified 757s that can be used by the vice president and other senior government officials and Cabinet members. Once the Qatari plane, which the Air Force refers to as VC-25B Bridge, enters the rotation this summer, the VC-25As will continue to serve in the executive fleet and could still be used by the president as Air Force One, the U.S. official said. Mount Rushmore is expected to host a “spectacular” fireworks show on the eve of July 4, according to the National Park Service. [Image text:] UNITED STATES OF AMERICA