President Donald Trump said Sunday at Joint Base Andrews that the Qatari-donated Boeing jet now used as Air Force One will soon be taken out of service to be "maxed out" after a reporter pressed him on its missile-defense capabilities.
Returning from the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey, Trump fielded a direct question about reports that the $400 million plane lacks the same antimissile systems as the older presidential aircraft. His answer put the security debate back in focus just days after the Justice Department subpoenaed four New York Times journalists whose Air Force One reporting drew federal scrutiny.
Highlights
- President Donald Trump said the Qatari-donated jet has “a lot of capability” but will be sent to be “maxed out.”
- Reports said the plane lacks defensive systems found on older presidential aircraft, including antimissile countermeasures.
- Security personnel reportedly preferred the older, purpose-built presidential plane for Trump’s travel.
- The Justice Department subpoenaed four New York Times journalists after their Air Force One reporting.
- Press freedom advocates warned the subpoenas could chill journalists and whistleblowers.
The exchange followed weeks of scrutiny over the aircraft
Image credits: The White House
Trump was responding to a HuffPost reporter who asked why he was flying on the jet if, as reported, it did not have antimissile defense systems.
The exchange followed weeks of scrutiny over the aircraft, which Qatar donated to the United States and which Trump flew for the first time as Air Force One on July 1. At the time, Trump praised the plane, saying the US "couldn't build a plane like this."
Trump also defended showing off the jet. "The country is very proud of it. And you can do two things – you can low-key it, or you can show it," he said.
But reports about the aircraft's security systems quickly followed. The New York Times reported in early July that the Qatari jet lacked the same defensive countermeasures as the older presidential model, including antimissile capabilities.
Among the missing features on the Qatari plane, according to the reporting, were infrared light emitters near the engines, fuselage apertures that can eject chaff and flares, and sensors that track incoming missiles.
Image credits: The White House
The issue also shaped Trump's travel. On July 8, after the NATO summit in Turkey, the president used an older presidential plane instead of the Qatari jet that had carried him there, then returned to the newer plane after landing in the United Kingdom.
Security personnel reportedly felt more comfortable with Trump aboard the older aircraft, which was built from the ground up for presidential use.
The jet has also been dogged by accusations that it amounts to a bribe. Democratic lawmakers were quick to call out the arrangement when it was first announced, with critics arguing it created an obvious conflict of interest given the aircraft's ties to a foreign government.
Trump and his administration have repeatedly rejected that characterization, insisting the plane is a gift to the Defense Department rather than to Trump personally, and that the deal was handled legally and transparently.
Image credits: The White House
Qatari officials have echoed that defense, denying any intent to curry favor with the president. Even so, polling has shown a majority of Americans view the jet as an attempt by Qatar to buy influence with the administration, and the controversy has continued to shadow the plane even as it entered active service.
Subpoenas to Times reporters over the Air Force One drew sharp warnings
The security reporting triggered a leak investigation that soon moved beyond the aircraft itself. On July 10, the Justice Department subpoenaed four Times journalists: Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt. Federal agents delivered the subpoenas that Friday evening, including to some reporters at their homes, with the news becoming public the following day, according to reports cited by PBS NewsHour.
The subpoenas sought testimony before a grand jury, raising immediate concerns from press freedom advocates. David McCraw, a lawyer for The New York Times, sharply criticized the move.
Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said the subpoenas "break from longstanding Justice Department practice to protect the public interest and press independence," according to NPR.
Image credits: Kurt Kaiser / Wikimedia Commons
Other groups warned about the broader signal to reporters and sources. Adam Steinbaugh, a senior attorney at FIRE, said, "These tactics are becoming more common," and warned that subpoenas send "a chilling message to journalists and whistleblowers alike," according to PBS.
Susan DeCarava, president of the NewsGuild of New York, said, "A free and independent press is essential to the functioning of a democratic society," according to Fox News.
The situation has since evolved. As of July 18, only three of the four named journalists, Barnes, Lipton and Schmitt, had actually been served, while attempts to serve Pager and a fifth reporter, Adam Goldman, were unsuccessful. A federal judge has since granted a temporary reprieve pausing the reporters' grand jury testimony pending a hearing on the Times' motion to quash the subpoenas, scheduled for July 23.