The gift that Trump received from Qatar on the way to Washington

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is expected to receive his new “Air Force 1” plane in the coming summer months. According to a report published in the “Wall Street Journal”, it is a luxury Boeing 747 that was given to the USA as a gift by the government of Qatar – and recently completed a comprehensive renovation and adjustments at a cost of about 400 million dollars.

According to the report, the huge investment in the renovation was not directed to cosmetic upgrades, but to strict security measures. As part of the rigorous preparation process at the facility in Texas, the US Air Force disassembled the entire interior of the plane, in order to conduct comprehensive scans and ensure that it does not contain eavesdropping devices, spying equipment or any other hidden security threat that could endanger the President. Along with the scans, classified and advanced communication equipment was installed on the plane that will allow Trump to manage the country from the air in any scenario.

Despite the thorough dismantling of the plane’s contents for security purposes, officials have confirmed that the luxurious interior design that characterized the Qatari royal family has been restored and will remain largely unchanged. Huge leather seats, plush sofas and even wooden bookcases will remain in place and be used by the president and his entourage.

The only visual changes included the removal of Arabic-language exit signs and contemporary Qatari artwork, and replacing them with US presidential symbols. Trump, who did not interfere with the interior design, did choose the plane’s exterior color scheme – red, white and blue.

However, relying on the existing structure led to several compromises compared to the current Air Force 1: the Qatari plane has fewer refrigerators, so escort planes may have to carry the president’s food. In addition, it does not have a dedicated and closed cabin for journalists (the media will be separated from the president’s team by a thick curtain only), and the plane’s doors are too narrow to put coffins in, which means that the plane cannot be used to fly bodies of former presidents if necessary.

The gift from Qatar was received last year, after Trump complained that the two Boeing 747s currently used by the presidency – about 40 years old – are outdated and tend to break down.

Accepting a gift from a foreign country raised a series of security and ethical concerns at the time, but Trump claimed at the time that it would be “stupid” to refuse it. Now, after passing the strictest security “cleaning” available, the plane has completed its test flights and is expected to land at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington this summer.