A U.S. Air Force official confirmed that the new generation of "Air Force One" special plane will adopt Trump's preferred color scheme. This batch of deeply modified Boeing 747 aircraft, designated by the military as VC-25B, will be available in red, white, gold and dark blue colors. This plan was proposed during Trump's first presidential term but was reversed during the Biden administration.
In 2018, Trump said: "'Air Force One' will amaze the world. It will be a top-notch configuration and the world's top special plane. The fuselage will be red, white and blue, and I think this is perfect."
Air Force One has been painted in light blue and white since the Kennedy administration. Trump's proposed color change plan has sparked speculation that he intends to replicate the color scheme of his personal Boeing 757 aircraft.
During the Biden administration in 2022, the U.S. Air Force rejected the painting plan due to cost and technical reasons. An Air Force spokesman said at the time: "Further analysis revealed that, among other factors, the dark paint on the lower portion of the VC-25B fuselage may have caused the temperature of some components to exceed current compliance standards."
In 2023, the military released a rendering of the new design selected by Biden. Its appearance is very similar to the light blue paint that has been used for more than 60 years, only the tone is slightly darker.
After Trump was re-elected, his Air Force One paint scheme came into focus again - it was emblazoned on top of a cake at the Commander-in-Chief's Ball on the night of his inauguration. Today, a model of a special aircraft in this livery is often placed on the coffee table in the Oval Office. Since last year, a Boeing 737 aircraft operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has also begun to use similar paint.
Currently, the U.S. Air Force states that the paint will be applied to two new Boeing 747s being modified by Boeing Company, as well as a Boeing 747 donated to the military by Qatar and converted into "Air Force One" under Trump's order. The aircraft donated by Qatar will be put into service as soon as this summer.
In addition, the four smaller C-32 aircraft (Boeing 757 military version) in the active fleet will also be replaced with this color during scheduled maintenance. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed to CNN: "The first C-32 has been painted and is expected to be delivered to the Air Force in the next few months."