WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump explored a Boeing aircraft on Saturday, taking the opportunity to examine its state-of-the-art technology and point out the delays in the delivery of new Air Force One models, according to information from the White House.
Trump’s visit took place at Palm Beach International Airport, where the Boeing plane was privately parked.
“President Trump is checking out the new hardware and technology in the aircraft,” stated Steven Cheung, the White House communications director. “This visit emphasizes the project’s inability to deliver a new Air Force One as scheduled.”
The current Air Force One consists of two modified Boeing 747s, both of which are over thirty years old. Boeing holds the contract for the updated versions, but the company has faced significant setbacks, resulting in considerable losses on the project.
Originally, the delivery of the first upgraded plane was anticipated for 2024; however, that timeline has since been postponed to 2027, with the second aircraft not expected until 2028, which coincides with Trump’s final year in office, as confirmed by the U.S. Air Force.
Trump has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the escalating costs and ongoing delivery delays. In a 2024 online discussion with Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, he claimed to have negotiated over $1 billion in savings on the project by taking a firm stance with Boeing during his first presidency.
“I managed to reduce the price by $1.6 billion over a span of about four weeks just by stating that I wasn’t going to proceed with it, and the only difference was a nicer paint job for the same aircraft, to be honest,” Trump explained.
Musk, who has financially supported Trump’s 2024 campaign, currently leads a new initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to streamline government operations by cutting costs, removing agencies, and reducing the federal workforce. His strategies have faced some criticism.
In remarks last month, Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg mentioned that Musk has been collaborating with the company to expedite the delivery process for the new Air Force One planes.
Additionally, Trump is considering altering the color scheme of Air Force One, shifting from its traditional light blue to a deeper blue. However, a proposal to modify the colors was abandoned by President Joe Biden after research showed that such changes would necessitate further testing and incur additional costs, leading to even more delays.
