Authored by Jacob Burg via The Epoch Times,
President Donald Trump on June 19 unveiled the plane that will serve as the new Air Force One, a $400 million Boeing 747-8 luxury jet that was gifted to the United States by the Qatari government in 2025.
President Donald Trump delivers remarks after touring the newest aircraft in the presidential fleet at Andrews Air Force Base at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on June 19, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesTrump stepped down from the plane inside a new hangar at Joint Base Andrews that was specially built for it. The plane is much larger than the previous jets that served as Air Force One, he said.
"The biggest difference is the difference in size, it's like virtually double the size. And actually, on a runway, it looks even more so," Trump said after shaking hands with Air Force officials.
Trump called the new plane "very unique."
"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," he said.
The aircraft will soon "commence its initial commissioning flights," which will be the jet's "final exam" before it's ready to transport the president, the Air Force said in a press release on Friday.
"The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority," Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement.
"From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission."
The Air Force said the plane was painted in red, white, and blue and has received its "final government modifications" ahead of its use by the president and his staff.
Despite the jet being a gift from the Qatari government, preparing pilots and crews for the new plane came with a few costs, according to the Air Force.
The Pentagon leased an Atlas Air 747-8 in October 2025 to begin training pilots, before ultimately buying a different 747-8 from Lufthansa as a "full-time training asset for the entire crew complement," the Air Force said.
These efforts were undertaken to "neutralize potential technical hazards on the previously owned aircraft," according to the military.
"Many thought it could not be done, but the United States Air Force was able to execute and provide a secure, reliable airborne command post on an accelerated timeline," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach said in a statement.
The new plane - which will serve as the temporary Air Force One while Boeing completes upgrades on two other jets - will replace a heavily modified Boeing 747-200B, one of three in the current fleet.
Some of the current fleet have been in service for more than 35 years.
Boeing's new fleet has incurred significant delays. Initially slated for a 2024 delivery, the aircraft are now not expected to be flight-ready until 2028.
Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
Tyler Durden Sat, 06/20/2026 - 12:50It's difficult to find a single redeeming quality of liberal movements these days. Maybe it's the abject pettiness, like children throwing a tantrum, that makes them hard to respect. Or, maybe it's their violent emotional tendencies and complete lack of moral integrity. They are willing to do anything to gain power, including lie, cheat, steal and even murder.
At bottom, the unstable psychological drivers of leftists lead them to hate certain things that most normal people love, including the basic maintenance of respected national monuments.
One might think that the Trump Administration's repairs to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool would be minor news, but the establishment media and progressive activists have turned the site repairs into a political battleground. CNN has spent more time "investigating" the growth of green algae in the pool than they did on the massive Somalian fraud networks in Minneapolis. Apparently, CNN isn't aware that algae grows naturally in standing water in a matter of 48 hours.
Let me get this straight.
CNN has spent more energy investigating algae in the DC Reflecting Pool than they spent on:
- Billions in Minnesota Medicaid fraud
- California's third-world election counts
- Crimes by illegal aliens
- The COVID cover-up
- Federal investigations into… pic.twitter.com/JvhnptBE6r
Activists tired to make hay out of the green pool, claiming that Trump wasted $14 million on his renovations, even though the same thing happened after Barack Obama's $35 million renovation from 2010 to 2012, and those repairs didn't even solve the leakage problems.
When Trump responded to the algae issue with new "nano bubbler" treatments, leftists actually protested online and at the site against the removal of the green sludge.
Brace yourselves…
“Pro-algae” protest is taking place by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in DC today.
You can't make this shit up! pic.twitter.com/eEp6F0Tkj5
In other words, they got mad that the treatments were working and they could no longer use the algae as an example of Trump failure. They then turned to direct sabotage of the site. Pieces of the floor of the reflecting pool have been torn out and the new sealant has been damaged.
Looks like a clean cut… someone is vandalizing the reflecting pool pic.twitter.com/pVNVAO5Xpc
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) June 19, 2026The numbers "8647" have been found scratched into the floor of the pool (a code for "murder Trump").
Multiple activists have reportedly been arrested, some caught in the process of trying to sabotage the monument. Others have tried to interfere with maintenance workers cleaning the algae. The National Guard and DC police are now stationed at the pool around the clock to prevent further damage.
🚨 JUST IN — EXCLUSIVE: United States Park Police are investigating an “86 47” inscription on the sealant of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool
We discovered writing just now while walking the edge of the pool.
This BS needs to end.
This comes as mobile SURVEILLANCE TOWERS… pic.twitter.com/z9aB9xf4wT
🚨 This just keeps getting worse.
Following the arrest of a man who cut out a big piece of the new American Flag Blue sealant at the Lincoln Reflecting Pool, another man was just arrested for grabbing a hose from female NPS workers clearing algae. pic.twitter.com/9uuAeSu1ka
🚨 LAST NIGHT: US Park Police detained a suspicious man carrying a pitchfork and bucket around the Lincoln Memorial reflection pool
It’s unclear what the man was planning on doing with the pitchfork and bucket, but it’s certainly not a regular sight at the pool.
This came… https://t.co/yLGvmc2k3X pic.twitter.com/BN3epjPjOV
Yes, the trifling behavior is off the charts, but this has become the standard of discourse for the woke mob in 2026. The worst part, though, is that the media has been running interference for the vandals, claiming that the repairs were "substandard" and that the water treatments are causing the sealant to peel. In reality, the damages are being caused by a coordinated monkey wrenching campaign, and the liberal media is silent about it.
The political left views monuments as symbolic targets; a way to attack western culture and demoralize the population without risking substantial jail time. We have seen similar tactics used by climate change protesters across Europe and the US. It's no coincidence that these activists choose iconic western treasures, such as classic artworks or an original copy of the Magna Carta, to vandalize.
Climate change is just the excuse, but the real goal is to incrementally deface anything symbolic of western civilization or national pride. The same mentality applies to the sabotage of the Lincoln reflecting pool. On top of that, the media takes the opportunity to paint Trump as incompetent or ineffective, turning something positive like monument restoration into an ugly propaganda affair.
Tyler Durden Sat, 06/20/2026 - 12:15