Trump mulls inaugural flight of new Air Force One at Mount Rushmore event [View all]

Source: NBC News

June 12, 2026, 7:02 PM EDT


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.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-mulls-inaugural-flight-new-air-force-one-mount-rushmore-event-rcna349875