Eric Trump says a retired Air Force One, not the $400 million Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar, will anchor President Trump's planned presidential library in Miami, contradicting his father's earlier promise.
The president's son told NBC News in a text message Tuesday that displaying the Qatari-gifted jet at the library is "not the plan at the moment for Miami." Instead, one of the aging Boeing 747-200s that have carried presidents for more than two decades will take its place inside the planned skyscraper complex, The Hill reported.
That marks a clear shift from President Trump's own words. Last year, the president said the Qatari-gifted plane would go "directly to the library after I leave office," with his library foundation set to assume control of the aircraft when his term ends in 2029.
An unnamed White House official muddied the picture further, telling The Hill that no final decision has been made about which aircraft will be displayed. The Washington Examiner confirmed the same uncertainty, with a White House official telling the outlet that "no final decision has been made yet" about the new Air Force One's future.
Eric Trump gave the most detailed account of the library's aircraft plans in an interview with the Palm Beach Post last month. He identified the two Air Force One jets being retired by their designations, the "2900" and the "29100z", and said one of them would serve as the library's centerpiece.
"Obviously, they're retiring two Air Force ones now, the 2900 and the 29100z. The 2900 will be at the base of that building."
He described the Miami skyscraper as being built "around a 747," a construction concept ambitious enough that the aircraft's wings may need to come off to fit inside.
"I'm sure wings will have to come off in order to just sneak it in there, but we'll make it happen... that'll be fun."
Eric Trump pointed to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, as a model. That facility houses a Boeing 707 that served as Air Force One inside a massive pavilion, one of the most visited presidential library exhibits in the country. He cited "tremendous history between everything [my father] did first term and now second term, and all the state visits" as the reason the retired jet deserves the spotlight.
Presidential libraries have a long tradition of displaying the vehicles that carried commanders in chief. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, houses the Marine One helicopter used following Nixon's resignation in 1974. The libraries of Woodrow Wilson and Lyndon B. Johnson display presidential automobiles. Trump's library, if it follows Eric Trump's description, would join that tradition on a far grander architectural scale.
The Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8, valued at $400 million, was designed to serve as a bridge aircraft while Boeing works to complete two new Air Force One planes, scheduled for delivery in 2028. Presidents have flown on the aging 747-200s for more than two decades, and the Qatari jet was meant to fill the gap. The retirement of the old Air Force One fleet after decades of service made a replacement urgent.
President Trump first flew on the Qatari jet to North Dakota last month, less than two weeks after calling it "the world's most luxurious plane." He said the aircraft was "maxed out" with upgrades that should "take about a month."
But the gift drew immediate scrutiny. Officials and lawmakers questioned whether the jet was upgraded sufficiently to include defensive measures and other capabilities necessary to protect the commander in chief while traveling. Those concerns surfaced again last month when the president flew on an older Air Force One during a trip to Turkey amid security concerns related to Iran threats.
Senate Democrats tried to use the jet as a political weapon. Sen. Chuck Schumer called the arrangement foreign influence, saying, "Nothing says America First like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar," AP News reported. Senate Republicans blocked Schumer's effort to prevent taxpayer-funded upgrades on the aircraft, a move that kept the upgrade process on track.
President Trump pushed back against the criticism directly. He argued that the Defense Department was receiving "a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction," and accused Democrats of manufacturing outrage.
The shift away from displaying the Qatari-gifted plane at the library raises a practical question: what happens to a $400 million aircraft that was originally promised to the library foundation? The White House has offered no clarity beyond saying no final decision has been made.
The jet's operational status remains uncertain as well. The aircraft was pulled from service for security upgrades after questions mounted about its defensive capabilities. Which specific officials raised those concerns, what the upgrades entail, and whether they are now complete, none of that has been publicly disclosed.
The new Air Force One also sports a redesigned color scheme, dark blue with a gold stripe and red trim, that was applied to the Qatari jet and to an older Air Force One 757. Whether the retired 747-200 bound for Miami would carry the same livery is another unanswered detail.
Eric Trump's statements suggest the library planning is well advanced, with the building's architecture literally shaped around the aircraft. But the White House's hedging leaves open the possibility that plans could shift again before the president leaves office in 2029. Qatar has not publicly commented on the change in plans for the jet it gifted, and no congressional or ethics reviews related to the gift have been publicly completed.
The broader story of presidential aviation security has drawn sustained public attention throughout Trump's second term, and the library aircraft question adds another chapter.
When a president's son is describing the blueprints and a White House official is saying nothing is final, somebody's ahead of the curve, or somebody hasn't been told the plan. Either way, taxpayers and voters deserve a straight answer before 2029.