#air-force-one — Trump Fail

The DOJ Sent Federal Agents to the Homes of Four New York Times Reporters With Grand-Jury Subpoenas — for Reporting That Trump's Qatari Air Force One Lacks Missile Defenses and That the Secret Service Told Him Not to Fly It — and the Prosecutor Who Issued Them Is Trump's Nominee to Run National Intelligence

The Justice Department subpoenaed four New York Times journalists — Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt — ordering them before a Manhattan federal grand jury "in regard to an alleged violation of criminal law." Federal agents delivered some of the subpoenas to the reporters' homes. Their offense: reporting that the Secret Service urged Trump to leave the NATO summit in Turkey aboard the old Air Force One rather than the Qatari-gifted Boeing 747, and that the gifted jet lacks "defensive countermeasures that were security features of the old model, including its advanced antimissile capabilities." The subpoenas were issued by Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan — who is himself Trump's nominee to become Director of National Intelligence, with a confirmation hearing days away — and followed a White House meeting involving FBI Director Kash Patel. The Times said it will fight the order. Its newsroom lawyer David McCraw said federal agents on reporters' doorsteps "should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects." The National Press Club called it "an extraordinary assault on the freedom of the press that strikes at the heart of the First Amendment." The DOJ claimed "reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are." The move fits a pattern: the department earlier issued then withdrew similar subpoenas against Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporters, the FBI searched a Post reporter's home in January, and in April 2025 AG Pam Bondi rescinded the Biden-era policy that shielded journalists' records in leak investigations. The reporting being criminalized is the same reporting documented here days ago — that the $400M+ rushed retrofit produced a plane one analyst said was suited to "domestic hops rather than hostile skies."

The Secret Service Told Trump Not to Fly His $400M Qatari Air Force One Out of a War Zone — It Was "Rushed" Into Service, Lacks the Command-and-Control "Flying Situation Room," Missile Defenses, and Mid-Air Refueling, So He Left Turkey on the Old Plane and Ordered Iran Strikes From It

One week after Trump took his triumphant maiden flight on the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One, the Secret Service advised him not to fly it out of a war zone. Departing the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, 2026 — with the Iran ceasefire collapsing and Trump calling himself Iran's "No. 1 target" — the president left on the original Kennedy-era Air Force One and sent the Qatari jet ahead, empty, to a U.S. base in England. Four U.S. officials told CNN the switch was driven by security concerns tied to the escalating Iran conflict; the New York Times reported the Secret Service urged the swap. The reason: the $400 million gifted Boeing 747-8, hurried into service in roughly 18 months instead of the usual years, lacks the original plane's command-and-control systems — the "flying situation room" that lets a president receive classified briefings, communicate securely, and order military strikes — as well as missile-defense systems, mid-air refueling, and hardening against electromagnetic-pulse attack. It mattered immediately: it was aboard the old plane, mid-flight, that Trump authorized fresh strikes on Iran. "This plane was built for aesthetics, not mission," a former national security official said. The military and Secret Service viewed the Qatari jet as having been "rushed." The Air Force insisted the jet is "safe, secure" but conceded that "several highly complex engineering modifications required for the final aircraft were intentionally excluded from the Bridge aircraft." Trump offered a cascade of conflicting explanations — the troops wanted to "tour the Aircraft," "for old time's sake," "there wasn't a security concern" — before telling reporters who'd been ordered to lower their window shades on takeoff that it was "because you're probably on a dangerous flight." His communications director said they deploy "every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection." The vanity jet that was diverted nuclear-missile money to build, accepted over the Emoluments Clause, and paraded as a triumph could not be trusted to carry the commander in chief during the one crisis it was theoretically there for.

Trump Used America's 250th Birthday to Campaign for His Face on Mount Rushmore — He Posted a Gold Video of Himself Carved into the Monument, the White House Said He'd Be "No Better Addition," He Distributed Cookies on Air Force One Depicting Himself as the Fifth President on the Mountain, and He Flew the Qatari Jet Over the Sacred Lakota Site While Hailstorms Battered the Crowd Below

On the eve of the 250th anniversary of American independence, Trump flew to Mount Rushmore on the Qatari-gifted Air Force One, buzzed the monument twice for the cameras, delivered a 28-minute speech warning of a "communist menace," and distributed cookies aboard the jet depicting his face carved into Mount Rushmore as the fifth president. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted photos of the cookies — which showed five presidential faces instead of four — calling them "the cookies Trump gave out last night on Air Force One." Earlier that day, Trump had posted a video on Truth Social showing a gold-plated 3D rendering of Mount Rushmore with his face mounted next to Lincoln's, with a voiceover: "I will be the greatest president for many, many years to come." White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said publicly: "There would be no better addition to the iconic Mount Rushmore than the 45th and 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump." Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) introduced H.R. 792 in January 2025 directing the Interior Secretary to carve Trump's likeness into the monument. Roger Stone pushed a "One More for Rushmore" petition. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said there is "certainly" room. None of this is possible: the National Park Service says Mount Rushmore is a completed work of art with no viable locations for additional carvings. The original sculptor wrote in 1936 that adding a fifth head was impossible due to stone limitations. An engineer who oversaw rock monitoring at the site: "It comes down to the geology, the engineering. It just can't be done." The mountain is sacred to the Lakota Sioux — known to them as the Six Grandfathers — on land the Supreme Court ruled in 1980 was illegally seized. The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council passed a resolution opposing the event. The 4,800 lottery-selected attendees endured two hailstorms and shelter-in-place alerts before Trump spoke. The fireworks — first at the site in six years, revived by Trump over environmental concerns about drought, wildfires, and endangered bat species — cost $700,000. In 2020, then-Governor Kristi Noem gifted Trump a four-foot replica of Mount Rushmore with his face. He was "totally serious" when he told her it was his dream to be up there.

Trump's New Air Force One Is a $400 Million Qatari Royal Jet Converted with $934 Million Diverted from Nuclear Missile Funds — It Has Fake Books, Gold Fixtures, and Will Become His Personal Property — Congress Was Never Asked, Pence Called It a "Bad Idea," and the Senate Called It an Illegal Emolument

Trump took his maiden flight on the new Air Force One — a Boeing 747-8 previously used by the Qatari royal family, gifted to the United States by the government of Qatar. The plane is worth $400 million before modifications. The cost of converting it was hidden inside the classified Sentinel nuclear missile modernization program: the New York Times reported $934 million was transferred from the missile project — which is already 81% over budget — to retrofit a luxury jet for presidential vanity. The Air Force has declined to disclose the actual modification cost, citing classification, while Secretary Meink claims it was "less than $400 million." The interior features gold light fixtures, plush carpets, lie-flat seats, wood paneling, Trump's preferred navy-and-red color scheme, and fake books — Karoline Leavitt's Instagram video accidentally revealed shelves lined with decorative volumes simply labeled "library." The plane will become Trump's personal property after his term, transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation at Air Force expense. The Constitution's Emoluments Clause prohibits accepting foreign gifts without congressional consent. Congress was never asked. A Senate resolution formally declared it an "illegal emolument." Mike Pence called it a "bad idea," noting Qatar "supports Hamas" and "financed pro-Hamas protests." Ben Shapiro called it "shady behavior." Meanwhile, the two actual new Air Force One planes Boeing was contracted to build in 2018 for $3.9 billion are now $6.2 billion and four years behind schedule — with delivery pushed to 2028 or later. Trump's original paint scheme for those planes (dark red and blue) was rejected because the dark colors would cause engine overheating. He revived the scheme anyway. The Air Force has not explained how the thermal concerns were addressed.

Accepted $400M Luxury Jet from Qatar

Trump accepted a $400 million Boeing 747 luxury jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One — though CNN revealed his administration had actually approached Qatar first. The upgrade will cost taxpayers up to $1 billion.