The historic, nearly $4 billion redesign of Air Force One is happening, and President Donald Trump on Wednesday revealed never-before-seen images of the new aircraft’s design to ABC News in an exclusive interview.
“Here’s your new Air Force One,” Trump said as he held up images during his Oval Office interview with George Stephanopoulos. “And I’m doing that for other Presidents, not for me.”
Watch the reveal below:
A red, white and blue design can be seen on the mock-ups, with the underbelly of the plane primarily blue. An American flag is painted on the tail of the aircraft.
“Here’s your new Air Force One.”
Pres. Trump shows @GStephanopoulos mock-ups of his vision for the next generation of the presidential aircraft during an exclusive @ABC News interview. https://t.co/9SiLyaVVjy pic.twitter.com/bdlDZMns8Q
— ABC News (@ABC) June 13, 2019
“We had different choices here. These are all slightly different,” Trump says.
“It’s a 747,” Trump continues when asked by Stephanopoulos if it’s still going to be a 747. “But you know it’s a much bigger plane. Bigger wing span. It’s a much bigger wing span.”
“We added things,” Trump continues, pointing out that he also got the price down by $1.6 billion.
Trump last summer had announced that the new Air Force One design would be red, white and blue.
“Air Force One is going to be incredible. It’s gonna be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it’s gonna be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate,” he had said.
In February 2018, Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley had said that President Trump negotiated a $3.9 billion “fixed price contract” for two new planes to serve as the new Air Force One duo.
A White House press release in July 2018 confirmed that the contract had been awarded to Boeing to deliver two Air Force One planes by 2024. This would be during Trump’s second term in office, if he is re-elected.
Currently, the Air Force One fleet consists of two custom Boeing 747-200B aircraft, first put in service in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush. The planes have accommodated every President in the last 28 years.
The two new planes are expected to be the same model aircraft, but receive a few upgrades at President Trump’s request.
The current paint scheme is a 55-year-old design developed by French designer Raymond Loewy, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy in 1962.
President Trump said he wanted to replace the signature “luminous ultramarine blue,” which he referred to as a “Jackie Kennedy color.”
After the deal was initially announced, Boeing released a statement confirming the deal: “Boeing is proud to build the next generation of Air Force One, providing American Presidents with a flying White House at outstanding value to taxpayers. President Trump negotiated a good deal on behalf of the American people.”
