President Donald Trump is making history Wednesday with the first presidential flight aboard a newly retrofitted Boeing 747 serving as Air Force One, using the aircraft’s debut to kick off a trip celebrating both Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy and America’s 250th birthday.
Before departing Joint Base Andrews, Trump expressed excitement about flying aboard the aircraft for the first time, calling it one of the finest airplanes ever built.
“This will be the first flight of what I think is maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built,” Trump told reporters. “I said to Boeing, what’s the best one? He said, ‘this is the best plane ever built, and you’re going to have the privilege of flying it.'”
The aircraft is a Boeing 747-8i donated by the government of Qatar that underwent an estimated $400 million refurbishment to meet presidential security, communications and operational requirements before entering service. It will serve as the presidential aircraft while Boeing continues work on the long-delayed next-generation Air Force One fleet, which is now expected to arrive in 2028.
Trump said Americans deserve a presidential aircraft that reflects the stature of the office.
“I’m excited about the first flight. It’s something nobody’s ever seen anything like it. Even you people, with all your experience and all of your talents, you will never see anything like it. They just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president,” Trump said. “That means the security and all of the different bells and whistles they put on — very complex stuff.”
The president contrasted the new aircraft with the aging Boeing 747 that has served presidents for decades.
“It would be parked next to the new ones like this. It really didn’t look appropriate for our country… you can do two things. You can low-key it or you can show it,” Trump added.
The North Dakota visit also marks another major event in the Trump administration’s ongoing America250 celebration, which commemorates the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence.
After arriving in Medora, Trump will join Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong and other officials for the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library before it officially opens to the public on July 4. The president is expected to arrive with a ceremonial Rough Riders horseback escort honoring Roosevelt’s famed volunteer cavalry regiment.
The library sits near Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the North Dakota Badlands, where the 26th president famously credited his time as a rancher with shaping his character and leadership. The new facility is designed to celebrate Roosevelt’s legacy of conservation, public service and American leadership as part of the nation’s Semiquincentennial celebration.
During the ceremony, Trump is expected to highlight Roosevelt’s conservation legacy while signing the Great American Outdoors Act Reauthorization, renewing funding tied to the landmark conservation legislation he originally signed into law during his first term.
The legislation continues investing roughly $1.9 billion annually to address long-overdue maintenance projects across America’s public lands, including repairs to roads, bridges, campgrounds, visitor centers, trails and water systems. The original Great American Outdoors Act, signed by Trump in 2020, was widely hailed as one of the most significant conservation measures enacted in decades.
Roosevelt’s commitment to preserving America’s natural treasures remains one of the defining parts of his presidency. During his time in office, he dramatically expanded the nation’s system of national parks and monuments, strengthened the U.S. Forest Service and protected millions of acres of public land.
One of Roosevelt’s best-known conservation principles is inscribed at the new presidential library:
“The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired.”
For Trump, Wednesday’s trip combines two symbolic milestones: unveiling a new presidential aircraft after years of delays surrounding the Air Force One replacement program, while celebrating one of America’s most influential presidents as the nation prepares for its 250th Independence Day festivities later this week.
