- Trump revealed his big plans for a patriotic redesign of Air Force One in an interview with ABC News.
- His plans for the presidential redesign toss the light-blue color scheme introduced in the 1960s in exchange for red, white, and blue.
- The new design and the color scheme look suspiciously like those of Trump’s private jet.
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President Donald Trump is planning a big patriotic paint job for Air Force One, and the radical redesign looks a lot like his private jet.
“There’s your new Air Force One,” Trump told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in the Oval Office as he unveiled four red, white, and blue mock-ups with American flags on the tail. He explained that each design is “slightly different.”
EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Trump unveils his new patriotic paint job for Air Force One during one-on-one with @ABC News' @GStephanopoulos. https://t.co/Oiq3NoMvPO pic.twitter.com/QVvXElQ4dM
— ABC News (@ABC) June 13, 2019
The redesigns would be a major change from the light-blue colors that were first introduced in the 1960s during the Kennedy administration.
Perhaps the most striking thing about the president's plans is that the redesign, especially the new color scheme, bears an uncanny resemblance to his private jet, a Boeing 757 with Trump's name written across it in big bold letters.
The biggest difference between the Air Force One design and the president's private jet is that the colors are inverted.
🤔 this color scheme looks familiar pic.twitter.com/waJBxcRfda
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) June 13, 2019
Trump stressed that he is doing this for future presidents, not himself.
If Congress approves the changes, which is not guaranteed, the new design could be applied to two Boeing 747s that are being converted into VC-25s, the military variant for presidential transport, in San Antonio, The Drive reported.
The White House struck a $3.9 billion deal with Boeing in February 2018 for the new Air Force One aircraft. While the planes were expected to be delivered in 2024, Trump made a request for an expedited 2021 delivery. Speaking with ABC News, the president boasted that he managed to knock $1.6 billion off the final price.
The president said the new Air Force One aircraft, while still technically a 747 airframe, would be a "much bigger plane" with a "much bigger wingspan."
"We added things," he said, refusing to disclose any secrets about the plane.
Trump first confirmed his plans for a new paint job for Air Force One in July. "Air Force One is going to be incredible," the president told CBS News at the time.
"It's going to be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it's going to be red, white, and blue, which I think is appropriate," Trump said.
