US President Donald Trump has announced on Friday that he will use the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One for his visit to Ireland next week, despite persisting security concerns, and leaving a major security upgrade for next month.
This will be the aircraft’s second overseas trip, following its unsuccessful first attempt in Türkiye in July, when Trump attended a NATO summit. As the president prepared to leave in his $400 million donated Boeing 747-8, security-related issues forced him to change his plans at the last minute, resulting in him leaving the country on a smaller third aircraft.
When asked by journalists in the Oval Office on Friday whether the Qatari jet would receive the additional security measures he had mentioned in July, Trump confirmed that it would be “maxed out”.
“It’s going to go away, and it’s a magnificent plane”, he added.
“It’s a lot of stuff, but to max it out, meaning you can into any territory, it’ll take about 60 days, and it’s being sent in October to be maxed out”.
Q: Does the new Air Force One still need to be maxed out?
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 4, 2026
Trump: It'll take about 60 days.
Q: What do you plan to do with the plane after you leave office.
Trump: It'll probably go to the museum.
Q: Probably?
Trump: I haven't made a decision. pic.twitter.com/XCeOoLKXin
Meaning, no, the plane will not have undergone the full security upgrades planned before Trump takes off for Ireland next week.
The White House attempted to play down the situation, assuring that measures had been taken to “ensure a safe, secure and reliable capability for the President of the United States” and that these are routinely adapted as required.
A senior White House official also told CNN that the aircraft is considered safe to fly to non-hostile countries.
Although the plane has undergone extensive security checks and has been retrofitted by the US military before entering presidential service, what Trump calls the ’world’s most luxurious plane, a flying White House”, has not yet been fitted with anti-missile defensive systems carried by the older Air Force One aircraft.
Two sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the new plane does not have the same capabilities as the older one, while a third said it has many of the same features.
Trump’s visit to Ireland is expected to include a brief stop in Dublin, after which he will head west to his family’s golf resort in Doonbeg for the Irish Open.
The plane was gifted to the United States by Qatar in 2025, after Trump complained about the state of the current Air Force One fleet and the delays in obtaining replacement parts.
Trump just made his inaugural exit from the $400 million Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar that will serve as Air Force One.
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) June 19, 2026
After taxpayers spend hundreds of millions upgrading the plane, Trump gets to keep it after leaving office. pic.twitter.com/hsl3cGJdPN
His acceptance of the lavish gift from the Gulf state raised many eyebrows and prompted questions about its security implications and the ethics of accepting an aircraft of such value from a foreign government at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East involving both the US and Qatar.
Trump dismissed all concerns.
The July episode has only strengthened those concerns. Questions have also been raised about intelligence suggesting a possible Iranian assassination attempt against the president, which prompted the extraordinary measures that saw Trump flee in a catering truck and board a third plane in Türkiye.
Security is not the only controversy raised here, as Trump has seemingly left room for doubt over what will happen to the plane after he leaves office. He said that it is expected to become part of his planned presidential museum amid speculation that he could retain access to the aircraft for personal use.
“I haven’t made a decision, but it will probably go to the museum. It’s scheduled to go to the museum,” Trump told reporters.
