New Air Force One To Be "Maxed Out" Amid Security Concerns: Donald Trump
President Donald Trump announced that his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet will undergo a month-long upgrade to improve its security and defensive capabilities. The decision follows reports that the aircraft lacked essential anti-missile systems during recent international travel.
Why it matters
The use of a foreign-gifted aircraft for presidential travel raises significant ethical, constitutional, and national security questions regarding potential conflicts of interest and vulnerability to foreign influence.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet needed to be sent off for a month to be "maxed out," after reports of security concerns on a trip to Turkey.Trump took his first flight on the retrofitted Boeing 747-8 plane on July 1, but questions swirled after he took an older jet home from a NATO meeting in Ankara on July 10.The New York Times reported that the new plane lacked the same security countermeasures, including anti-missile defenses. Its reporters were then subpoenaed by the Trump administration."It has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they're going to send it to have it be maxed out," Trump told reporters when asked why he was still flying on a plane without full defensive capabilities."So they're going to be sending it, and they'll have it be maxed out.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in