“Isn’t Air Force One really something?” he gushed during a flight early in his tenure. “I mean, we all have our own private planes and have for years, but this is something else.”[23] Eventually, Trump would push the military to purchase a vastly upgraded new plane and backup for nearly $4 billion; it was necessary, he said, because the Saudis and other world leaders had much fancier, more recent Boeing 747-800s at their disposal. “The United States should be properly represented,” he would insist.
