The New York Times on Sunday published a news analysis titled ‘What Will It Cost to Renovate the ‘Free’ Air Force One? Don’t Ask.’
The article notes that while the Trump administration refuses to disclose the cost of refurbishing the Boeing 747-8 aircraft that the country of Qatar has gifted to the President of the United States to use as Air Force One, there is also the matter of “a mysterious, $934 million transfer of funds from one of the Pentagon’s most over-budget, out-of-control projects — the modernization of America’s aging, ground-based nuclear missiles.”
[Note: During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in June, when asked how long it will take to renovate the Qatari aircraft, Hegseth said such information was “not for public consumption,” and said the cost was “classified.”]
Qatar’s gift to Donald Trump of a luxury jet for his post-presidential use will cost taxpayers almost $1 billion in carefully concealed Pentagon funds. That’s money straight from your taxes to Trump’s personal benefit. https://t.co/GMGuELfj3o
— David Frum (@davidfrum) July 27, 2025
According to the Times report: “Only at the Pentagon could someone reprogram $934 million and expect no one to notice. The coffers were refilled with the passage of the budget reconciliation bill several weeks ago, budget officials say.”
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of the aircraft: “The security implications of accepting a private plane from a foreign nation as Air Force One and the resulting ethical concerns a gift of that sizes creates were already significant.”
She added that “diverting funds from the nuclear modernization budget to finance costly renovations to this plane” is “weakening our credibility to fund a vanity project for President Trump.”
Note: The Washington Post reported this week that Hegseth and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani signed a document on July 7, agreeing to have the Boeing 747-8 aircraft sent to “a Texas facility known for secret technology projects.”