The "intermediary" Air Force One, until the two new fleet aircraft carrying the US president were completed, presented on Friday Donald Trump, who announced that will travel to Turkey and China sometime within 2026.
"We make many trips. We're going to Turkey. We will return, sometime within the year, to China," he said from the Maryland Andrews Joint Base, while presenting the new Boeing 747 presidential aircraft that Qatar donated to him.
President Trump steps off the new Air Force One and is immediately grown by service members at Joint Base Andrews. pic.twitter. com/3evkCst6Ff— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 19, 2026
NEW AIR FORCE ONE! pic.twitter. com/8DcY6ZErsy— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 19, 2026
Travel to Turkey is known on the NATO Summit on 7-8 July, But the reference to China was probably a surprise: President C will come here in September but we will come back for a major summit in China," he said.
The new aircraft fly over Washington on July 4On the day the US celebrates independence, the president also said he promised an unprecedented experience.
President Trump says the new Air Force One will lead a historic flyover above Washington, D.C. on the 4th of July:
"This will be a flyover, on July 4th, I think I can say the likes of which we've never seen before. " pic.twitter. com/YhnOxzIOda— Insider Paper (@The InsiderPaper) June 19, 2026
The American president, as usual, also referred to all open issues, such as Iran. ‘They must agree, Or we'll do things that won't please them., although I don't think we'll get there," he threatened once again.
He also thanked China, saying that "I asked the president Not to interfere with Iran. He said he wouldn't and indeed [did not]. That's very good.".
But for the Prime Minister of Israel too, he had good words to say: "Bibby Netanyahu is warrior-prime minister, he must be recognized this".
The U.S. Air Force has published the first pictures of the VC-25B Bridge, a heavy modified different of a Boeing 747-8I Business Jet donated to the United States by the Qatari Royal Family for use as Air Force One by President Donald J. Trump, having now arrived for Commissioning... pic.twitter. com/Wc4PR5GBiD— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 19, 2026
What is "intermediary" Air Force One
The aircraft, as CNN notes, is intended to fill the gap between the two old modified Boeing 747-200, which have been operating as Air Force One since 1990, both new aircraft modified by Boeing and which will be fully ready around 2029-2030.
The blue color inspired by the Jacqueline Kennedy in the 60s it has now been replaced by dark blue and white, with the fuselage decorated with red stripes.
The Air Force announced Friday that the new aircraft would soon begin flying tests before its acceptance and membership in the fleet. These flights are intended to verify all the possibilities necessary for the safe transfer of the president.
This aircraft, which is a gift from Qatar, raised important ethical and constitutional questions, particularly as regards the limits governing the gifts received by a president from foreign forces.
Meanwhile, Trump had expressed his disappointment at the delays in the construction of the new Air Force One", which are unlikely to have been completed by the end of his term in 2029.