Exhibition After $400 Million Investment?... Controversy Over Use of Trump’s Private Jet After Presidency

Trump Receives Air Force One Gift from Qatari Royal Family

Hopes to Display It at Presidential Library After Leaving Office

U.S. President Donald Trump is at the center of an ongoing controversy in political circles and beyond regarding the future use of the private jet "Air Force One," which was gifted by the Qatari royal family.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on July 5 (local time), President Trump reportedly hopes to display Air Force One at his presidential library, which will be named after him, following his departure from office. This plan is inspired by the precedent of the retired Air Force One being exhibited at former President Ronald Reagan's library in California.

U.S. President Donald Trump. Photo by Getty Images Yonhap News

This idea appears to be influenced by plans to introduce the next-generation Air Force One. During President Trump's first term in 2017, two next-generation Air Force One jets were ordered from Boeing and are scheduled to be delivered in mid-2028. Since the role of the Air Force One provided by Qatar will diminish once the new aircraft are deployed, there are plans to use the Qatari jet as an exhibit at the presidential library. However, even the U.S. Air Force, which operates Air Force One, has reportedly expressed a negative opinion on this plan.

The Air Force invested 400 million dollars (approximately 600 billion won) to equip the Boeing 747-8 aircraft provided by Qatar with security systems and military communications equipment. Given the massive budget involved, there are many who believe the aircraft should continue to be operated even after the next-generation Air Force One is delivered.

Air Force General Dale White stated, "The top priority is the mission of safely transporting the president," adding, "As long as there is a need to carry out this mission, the aircraft will remain in operation." Doug Birkey, Director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, commented, "To retire a military aircraft, a prescribed process must be followed, and above all, there must be no further military operational need."

Political opposition is also a variable. The Democratic Party is raising concerns about the president using an expensive aircraft provided by a foreign government. In particular, some within the Democratic Party are considering legislative measures to prevent President Trump or his presidential library from acquiring the Air Force One gifted by Qatar.

The upcoming presidential election is another factor. As the final decision regarding the exhibition of retired military aircraft is made by the U.S. Air Force and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, if the Democratic Party succeeds in regaining power in the next election, President Trump's plans could be thwarted.

Meanwhile, the process of relocating the aircraft poses its own challenges. Transporting a large jet, approximately 250 feet (about 76 meters) in length, into an urban building is itself a difficult task. President Trump also remarked last March, "It will not be easy to bring this two-story aircraft into the building lobby."

Previously, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington disassembled a retired Boeing 747 into several pieces and then reassembled it inside the museum for display.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.