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‘No final decision’ on future of Qatar-donated Air Force One after Trump’s term, White House official says

VC-25B Bridge, an interim Air Force One presidential aircraft, stands ready on the tarmac on Aug. 4, 2026, in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The “bridge” aircraft, a $400 million gift from Qatar, is a modified Boeing 747-8 that bridges the gap until fully customized long-term replacement Air Force One planes are completed.

(WASHINGTON) — “No final decision has been made yet” about the future of the new Air Force One jet donated by Qatar following President Donald Trump’s second term, a White House official told ABC News.

Trump has pledged for more a year that the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 that was given to the president in a controversial move, would be transferred to his presidential library after his term concluded.

Sources familiar with the proposed arrangement have previously told ABC News that ownership of the plane will be transferred shortly before Trump leaves office to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation.

Questions about the president’s plans for the plane remain — including whether Trump would keep it for personal use, if he would leave it for the next president as part of the Air Force One fleet, or if there are other plans in store. 

The gifted plane has long been expected to be used as the new Air Force One until shortly before Trump leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement have previously told ABC News.

The White House official’s comments on Wednesday followed reports from NBC News and The New York Times that called into question the fate of the plane.

Trump’s son Eric Trump reportedly told NBC News in a text message that it was “not the plan” for the jet to be delivered to the library. “No. That’s not the plan at the moment for Miami,” he reportedly texted the outlet. 

Eric Trump, who is involved in developing his father’s presidential library in Miami, suggested that an older decommissioned Air Force One jet would instead be going to the library, not the Qatari-gifted one, NBC News reported.

The Qatari royal family’s donation of the luxury jet valued at approximately $400 million, an unprecedented foreign gift, raised questions from some lawmakers and ethics experts.

The Air Force last year originally estimated it would cost less than $400 million to retrofit the plane to meet stringent security standards, though it’s unclear how much exactly has been spent so far.

Prior to the jet’s first presidential flight in July, the U.S. Air Force said it had been modifying the jet Texas since September to meet the security, communications and other needs to transport the president. Many of the details of the retrofitting on the new plane are considered classified.

Trump in July said plane would be further “maxed out” with security features, undergoing an upgrade that was expected to put it out of commission for about a month in the near future.

Those comments came after the plane carried Trump to July’s NATO summit in Turkey. As Trump prepared to depart the summit, the Secret Service urged the president to take the older Air Force One jet as a precaution, due in part for the differences in security capabilities, ABC News learned at the time.

When asked in May 2025 by ABC News’ Rachel Scott about the future of the plane, the president said it would be sent “directly” to his presidential library after he leaves office, adding, “I wouldn’t be using it, no.”

Trump repeatedly referenced former President Ronald Reagan’s library as a model for his own. A Boeing 707 Air Force One jet was retired to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, in 2001.

“Someday, it will be like Ronald Reagan, they decommission them,” Trump said during the May 2025 event. “You know, they get to a certain age, they decommission them. It’ll go to my library. They’re talking about going to my library in years out.”

ABC News’ Rachel Scott contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘I just can’t believe it’: NC-11 voters react to Rep. Edwards’ exit from House race

By CNN
Click here for updates on this story    HENDERSON COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) -- Many voters across western North Carolina were surprised to learn Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards announced Wednesday he would not seek reelection, two days after the bipartisan House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured after finding he violated House rules in his interactions with two female staff members.News 13 asked residents in Hendersonville and Asheville to get their reaction. While some closely follow politics, others said they don't, and a few weren't even familiar with Edwards.Sam Engelhardt, an independent who recently moved to Asheville, said he wishes more people paid attention to local races but understands why many don't."A lot of those elections, people don't actually really follow," Engelhardt said. "Sometimes the debates are only online, so you have to seek them out to learn about the candidates."Asked who he'd like to see on the ballot, Engelhardt laughed."Oh, me," he said. "I'm more confident in myself than strangers that I don't know."Engelhardt said he knows running for office isn't easy because candidates often have to compromise to gain support."To gain support, a lot of times people end up making compromises in their beliefs," he said. "It's hard. You can't win an election by yourself."Tony Varnadore, a Republican in Henderson County, said he was shocked to hear Edwards was ending his campaign."I just can't believe it," Varnadore said. "He's such a good guy, and he's done a lot for Henderson County. I've got his phone number. I can call him if I need something or ask him to check into something, and he'd do it."He said he got to know Edwards several years ago after working at a boys' summer camp in Green River that Edwards' parents operated."He grew up in Green River... I worked summer camp for him down there at his camp, and he was just a great guy," Varnadore said. "He was one of the honest guys that, you know, I can probably count on my right hand how many honest people there are in Washington right now, and I've got one finger missing."Varnadore said he was skeptical when he heard about the House Ethics Committee's findings against Edwards."My wife told me about it yesterday and said, 'Did you hear about all that stuff about Chuck?'" Varnadore said. "I said, 'That's probably all crap that the Democrats have come up with.'"Still, Varnadore said it is true, they should be taken seriously. "If anybody ever disrespected my daughters, I'd be upset, very upset."He also said he hopes Republican Party leaders choose someone voters can trust."I'd like for them to let the voters choose," Varnador said. "But hopefully we've got enough common-sense Republicans who are going to find somebody to replace him who's going to go with the same agenda that Donald Trump has. He needs all the help he can get."Under North Carolina law, the Republican Party's 11th District Executive Committee, not voters , will choose the GOP nominee to replace Edwards on the November ballot. That's been the process in North Carolina for more than 100 years when a party nominee drops out after winning the primary."Hopefully, there's somebody the committee can find that would be honest," Varnadore said. "That's my big thing, honesty. There's so many crooked politicians."Frank Owenby, a Republican from Henderson County, said he was disappointed to hear Edwards is ending his reelection campaign."I know after Helene, we contacted him, and it was like a week or so, we got immediate assistance," Owenby said. "I'm very disappointed that he's having to drop out. I think it's just very unfair."Owenby said he questions the timing of the House Ethics Committee investigation against Edwards."Well, I feel like if it was very inappropriate, why didn't it come up earlier?" he said. "Like a lot of the things lately in politics, you can't keep going back years and years and have someone come up and accuse you of something. I think it's really getting out of hand, and I hate it's happening to him."Asked whether he would still support Edwards if the allegations proved to be true, Owenby said he would need to see evidence."If it was inappropriate, yes," he said. "But I have my doubts that he's done anything inappropriate. I'd have to see proof."Owenby said he would have preferred for voters, not party leaders, to choose the next Republican nominee.The voters News 13 spoke with had different perspectives on Edwards and the accusations against him, but they all shared one hope: that whoever ends up on the November ballot will represent western North Carolina well.Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
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