Eric Trump Says 29000 Air Force One Will Anchor Library, Clouding Fate of $400 Million Qatar Jet
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 10
Eric Trump Says 29000 Air Force One Will Anchor Library, Clouding Fate of $400 Million Qatar Jet
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jul 10
Summary
Tail number 29000 — not the Qatari-donated Boeing 747 — is slated for the base of Donald Trump’s presidential library, Eric Trump said in a July 9 interview, contradicting the president’s repeated claim that the newer plane would go there.
The older jet has flown for about 30 years and 6.5 million miles with presidents aboard, Eric Trump said, casting it as the library showpiece while leaving unanswered what happens to the Qatar plane now being used as Air Force One.
That uncertainty matters because the Qatar aircraft was an unprecedented $400 million foreign gift, then retrofitted at taxpayer expense, and Trump has defended accepting it by saying he would not keep using it after leaving office.
Several hurdles could still block any library transfer: the Air Force museum system typically decides retired military aircraft dispositions, the Qatar jet may retain substantial service life, and Democrats have already moved to bar its handover.
The dispute adds to broader scrutiny of the Qatar plane, which entered service this month but lacks some security features of the older aircraft and has already drawn ethical and constitutional criticism from Democrats.