The Straits Times World News
· collected 2026-09-05 · by The Straits Times
US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will take the Qatar-gifted Air Force One to Ireland next week despite security concerns surrounding the plane. The jet was donated by Qatar's royal family in 2025 and was retrofitted by the US military before entering service with Trump in June, but it lacks anti-missile security systems. Trump said that the plane will be upgraded in October, but initially stated that this would take just a month to complete, later increasing the timeline to 60 days. This marks the second time Trump has secretly switched planes in response to security threats, following an incident at a NATO summit in Turkey in July.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Trump taking Qatari Air Force One to Ireland despite security concerns
AI generated
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Trump → take → concerns
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Sept 4 he would take the new Air Force One on its first foreign trip since a security scare in Turkey, leaving a security upgrade to the Qatari-gifted jet for October.
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he → say → October
The plane has been at the centre of controversy since it emerged that Trump not only switched to an older model to leave a NATO summit in Ankara in July because of a reported threat from Iran, but then secretly swapped to a third aircraft.
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Trump → emerge → aircraft
Speaking to journalists in the Oval Office, Trump confirmed that he would be taking the jet donated by Qatar’s royal family on a trip to Ireland next week despite the security concerns.
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he → speak → concerns
Asked if the jet would still be getting extra security measures as he had announced in July, Trump said: “It’s gonna be maxed out.
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It → ask → July
Yeah, it’s going to go away, and it’s a magnificent plane.”
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it → go → ?
“It has a lot of stuff, but to max it out – meaning you can go into any territory – it’ll take about 60 days, and it’s being sent in October to be maxed out
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it → max → October
,” Trump told reporters.
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Trump → tell → reporters
But Trump’s timescale for the modifications has doubled from the month that he had previously said it would take when he first mentioned them on July 19.
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he → double → July
The White House declined to comment on the upgrades.
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House → decline → upgrades
“We maintain a consistent posture that ensures a safe, secure, and reliable capability for the President of the United States and routinely evolve the capability as required to maintain that posture,” a senior administration official told AFP.
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official → maintain → AFP
“It is the greatest Presidential plane ever built.”
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It → build → ?
Trump is expected to make a fleeting visit to Dublin and then his family’s golf course in Doonbeg, western Ireland, for the Irish Open.
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Trump → expect → Open
Qatar gave the luxury Boeing 747 jet to the United States in 2025, after Trump complained about the ageing current presidential planes and delays to the delivery of their planned replacements.
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Trump → give → replacements
Critics raised a host of ethical and security concerns about taking such a lavish gift from a foreign power.
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Critics → raise → power
The new plane was retrofitted by the US military before entering service with Trump at the end of June, when he called it the “world’s most luxurious plane” and a “flying White House.”
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he → retrofit → it
But because of the rapid pace of the modifications, the Qatari jet was reportedly not fitted with anti-missile security systems.
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jet → fit → systems
One of the older Air Force Ones then appeared to have been called into action when Israel briefed the US about a possible missile threat when Trump was leaving the Ankara summit.
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Trump → appear → summit
But in fact, Trump covertly left the old Air Force One in the back of a catering truck and secretly switched to another, smaller plane.
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Trump → leave → plane
“They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane – equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it.
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I → want → it
I do what they say,” Trump told reporters in August.
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Trump → do → August
Air Force One then departed, still carrying journalists and top aides who remained at apparent risk of an Iranian strike.
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who → depart → strike
Trump meanwhile said that he expected the Qatari jet to go to his planned presidential museum when he leaves office in 2029.
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he → say → 2029
But he left some room for doubt.
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he → leave → doubt
Boeing has said it expects to deliver the first of two purpose-built new Air Force Ones in 2028, several years behind schedule.
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it → say → schedule
“I haven’t made a decision, but it will probably go to the museum.
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it → make → museum
It’s scheduled to go to the museum,” Trump told reporters.
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Trump → schedule → reporters
Speculation has swirled that Trump plans to use the Qatari plane as a personal jet after he leaves office, despite the fact that presidents are not meant to accept gifts from foreign countries.
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presidents → swirl → countries
