And what exactly is wrong with the current Air Force One aircraft? If they just gold plate the toilets on those planes shouldn’t that be enough for our POTUS?
I was hoping you would elaborate on what it was that wowed you and is being exposed from the “guys”.?
Just the content of their comments. It’s pretty obvious.
It may not have Trump’s signature tacky gaudiness, but it looks pretty opulent to me. I wonder if he listened when the Air Force said it would all have to be removed for the conversion and might not go back in.
It is a $4M bribe offered to the President alone. It is illegal (The Emoluments Clause), It is immoral (Qatar gives refuge to and finances Hamas). It is financially irresponsible ( it will cost tax payers many millions to retrofit). And, in the end, after all the millions of dollars in upgrades and business dealings with Qatari billionaires, it will benefit just one person.
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400.000.000.00 Million
The correct way to write it is $400 million or $400,000,000 — not 400.000.000.00 Million
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Though you could say 400.000.000,00 in Germany - I think it’s a metric thing.
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Before I call it a night — the title “‘Flying Palace’ Luxurious But Not Opulent” sounds like a shot at trying to make the jet’s luxury seem less over-the-top, like a subtle attempt to soften the impact, likely aimed at managing public perception.
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… hence inherently insufficient for a real King.
I once sold a used Bentley on contract with its financially stricken owner. Didn’t take long to figure out that people looking at and trying to buy used Bentleys are a different breed.
The aircraft is most certainly not worthy.
If Trump likes it, he should purchase it outright and unhinge the fury of DOGE over the opulent pricetag the American taxpayer stares at, everytime one of our current AF1 takes to the skies.
The system of presidential transport requires a long and hard look. Maybe no longer sufficient to travel around like a bigshit when then average American struggles to keep food on the table.
For those struggling with the metric thing.
$400MM or €400.000.000 would be sufficient.
One could also say: Nearly half a BILLION dollars.
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If you still have one eye open…I thought the same thing about the title. Maybe just because pics were released? IDK 
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What if POTUS was using this as a ‘ploy’ to embarrass Boeing into getting the ‘real’ AF1’s done sooner ?? The F47 contract could hang in the balance, too?
I’m getting sick and tired of reading people bashing the President in this aviation forum !! 
IF you don’t like him … keep it to yourselves ! And, the unless the barracks lawyers here have a law degree … keep that to yourselves, too. He was elected and you weren’t!
If ya want to opine on whether it meets the spec required for AF1, that’s fine and appropriate.
This forum is turning into Facebook II
From Russ:
C’mon, Larry. This is almost a purely political story and discussion of the merits of this transaction are not only inevitable, they are necessary. Aviation is not immune to politics and Trump knew the can of worms he was opening. I would argue that the technical aspects, while interesting to most of us, are secondary to the larger issues in play–the issues you think we should ignore.
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“According to POLITICO…”
OK, right off the bat we know that whatever follows is political garbage.
Thanks for posting sources so we can evaluate accuracy ourselves.
Larry, don’t be discouraged by people practicing their First Amendment Rights. The very wise and intelligent folks on this and many other forums only know what they know. Back in 2020 during the massive shut down of the world economy a “Journalist” during an interview was being questioned about their bias and answered " Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds You".
Read this AI answer and it will help you understand why everything we are reading about is the ‘Orange Man Bad’ and The ‘Pooh Man Good’. Even in Aviation News.
Question to AI: “What is the history of the Chinese Takeover of US Media”
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been actively expanding its influence in the global media space, including in the United States, through various strategies since the early 21st century. One significant approach has been the establishment of partnerships with major U.S. media organizations, such as PBS, National Geographic, and the Discovery Channel, to coproduce documentaries that often include pro-Beijing messages. For instance, PBS aired a documentary that praised the CCP’s poverty alleviation efforts in Xinjiang, but it faced criticism and was subsequently taken down due to concerns about editorial standards.
The CCP also uses funding from organizations like the China-US Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) to sponsor journalist trips to China. These trips have been linked to the CCP’s United Front work and have sometimes resulted in articles that echo CCP narratives or downplay human rights abuses. Notably, some of these articles have been cited by Chinese domestic state media.
In addition to these partnerships and funding, the CCP has employed covert and coercive tactics to influence U.S. media, including disinformation campaigns, the use of paid social media influencers, cyberattacks on news outlets, and cyberbullying of journalists. These tactics have become more frequent as Chinese state media outlets struggle to gain a mainstream audience in the United States and as U.S. public opinion toward Beijing has become more negative.
While mainstream media coverage in the United States remains largely independent and critical of the CCP, certain narratives preferred by Beijing have gained traction and repetition on the political extremes and among some state and local political and business leaders
It seems to me that arguing over the level of opulence in the plane’s livery is kind of missing the point. The simple fact is that a foreign government is offering to bequeath to the current US President a gift valued at around $400 million US dollars. Whether that gift is an airplane or a gold-encrusted golf cart is kind of irrelevant. No, Larry, I’m not an attorney, but the Emoluments clause of the Constitution is pretty clear on this kind of thing. In my working life I did some consulting work with a few government departments, and I can tell you we were scrutinized pretty closely on any spending. I caught hell one time when I took a couple civil servants to lunch (at a modest restaurant) and picked up the tab - valued at about $40 dollars, plus tip. The established limit was $25 dollars. I managed to placate the management by saying that the limit was $25 dollars per person, so if they split the bill three ways, I was within the standard. If the standard works for the front-line grunts, it should apply to the top dogs. Even ignoring the Emoluments clause, this “deal” gives the world the signal that the US government (and its CEO) is “open for business”. (wink wink)
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'What if POTUS was using this as a ‘ploy’ to embarrass Boeing into getting the ‘real’ AF1’s done sooner ??
Then that would demonstrate not only an abuse of power using blackmail, but a stunning ignorance of process, fiscal responsibility and governance.
Should we be ok with that from our government?
‘The very wise and intelligent folks on this and many other forums only know what they know.’
Socratic thinking! Well done. Of course, disturbingly, it applies to us all…
Yet let me supersize that thought and quote from ‘The Dopey One’ and offer his far more important phrase, imho, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
It’s surely consistently kept hidden from those not only with great knowledge and those with very little knowledge alike. 
(that’s not a flying palace, I swear)
Thanks for the input, Arthur — not everyone’s got the bandwidth for context.
That’s YOUR opinion and not mine or many others. Embarrassment is NOT blackmail … it’s a tactic. Perhaps you oughta go back to school and learn a few things, Mr Barracks Lawyer! Frankly, I hope he takes the jet … maybe your head will explode? In fact, I think he oughta think up some nifty name for it to help that process along.
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We need more anger management popcorn!
In my opinion, as an old horseman. some nags just need a wide berth , the rest, well, you best cinch up tight and hang on, ‘cause they’ll either make you a legend or a cautionary tale. No such thang as a free ride, Bubba.
Moh popcorn, JaBa!