How much Trump's gifted Air Force 1 costs after photo appears to show 'fake' books with odd titles
Topics: Donald Trump, Social Media
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Social Media
Donald Trump's brand new Air Force One jet took to the skies for the first time this week, and the president wasted no time showing it off to the world.
The retrofitted aircraft, gifted to Trump by the Gulf emirate of Qatar, is designed to act as a 'bridge' between the ageing Boeing 747s that have served as Air Force One since 1990 and two brand new purpose-built planes, which aren't expected to arrive until 2027 and 2028.
Trump toured the jet shortly after returning to the White House and ordered it be prepared for use for the remainder of his time in office, dismissing criticism over the arrangement by insisting it would be 'stupid' to turn down the offer.
Officials, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, took to social media to share glimpses of the plane's interior, showing off everything from pillows embroidered with the presidential seal to a meeting table trimmed in white grain leather.
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While the jet itself was a gift (valued at $400m), converting it for presidential use hasn't come cheap, with the cost of retrofitting the Qatari 747 put at $1 billion.
That's on top of the two purpose-built replacement jets, which have seen their combined costs balloon from an original estimate of $3.7 billion up to $5 billion.
Critics have also pointed out that running costs for the ageing 747 fleet sit at around $180,000 to $200,000 per flight hour, a steep jump from the $12,000 to $16,500 hourly cost of Trump's own personal Boeing 757.
Speaking at the unveiling, Trump praised the jet's luxury finish, saying: "This is considered the world's most luxurious plane. When it was built, it was built at a level that will probably never be seen again."
Despite the eye-watering price tag, it wasn't the cost that caught most people's attention online, but a bookshelf spotted in the background of several photos.
Social media users quickly pointed out that the books lining the shelf appeared to be entirely fake, with some spines simply labeled "Library."
"Of course a plane full of people who have never read a book has a bookshelf of fake books with titles like 'Library'," one person wrote on X, while another joked, "Volume III of the Library is a real nail-biter."
The interior tour also revealed other unusual design choices, including a framed print of a duck swimming in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, which only added to the reaction online.
The Air Force has said it made minimal alterations to the jet's actual cabin layout during the retrofit, and confirmed the conversion skipped some planned modifications in order to get the aircraft ready faster.
Troy Meink, secretary of the Air Force, defended the process, saying to the Guardian, "The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority."
The new jet arrived just weeks before a planned flyover of Washington DC to mark the nation's 250th anniversary, with Trump confirming he plans to use the aircraft again shortly when he travels to Turkey for the NATO summit.