U.S. President Donald Trump gestures while touring a VC-25B aircraft, donated by Qatar to serve as Air Force One, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on June 19, 2026. [Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz]

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 19th (local time) that he would visit China again later this year.

While unveiling the Boeing 747 donated by Qatar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that day, President Trump stated, "We are going to do a lot of overseas travel," adding, "I will be going to Turkey, and I will be going back to China again later this year."

The aircraft unveiled today is set to join the Air Force One fleet.

President Trump added, "President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit here in September, but we will go back to attend a major conference in China."

He also expressed his gratitude toward China.

President Trump said, "I told him I would do that, and I want to thank China," and continued, "Honestly speaking, I asked President Xi not to get involved in the Iran issue, even though Iran imports 50% of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz. I asked him not to interfere, and the President said he wouldn't, and he actually followed through. I am very grateful for that. So, I appreciate it."

President Trump stated that previous presidential aircraft were about 35 years old and that it was time for a replacement. Noting that many countries had presidential planes larger than those of the United States, he reflected, "These countries really respect us, yet they have much nicer and newer planes than we do. Isn't that a bit ridiculous?"

He also expressed his appreciation to Qatar.

President Trump said, "Qatar has been very kind and helpful," sharing an anecdote about telling the Emir of Qatar that he "wanted to use [the 747] for a while."

He remarked, "A typical president wouldn't do something like this. A typical president wouldn't want to get involved with aircraft. Everyone might think that, but we need to show that our nation possesses the world’s strongest military and the world’s best aircraft. Fighter jets, bombers, and even the B-2 bomber—you've seen its performance. We should have planes, too. That is why we decided to introduce this aircraft."

The United States has already ordered two Boeing 747-8 aircraft. The existing Boeing 747-200B, which has been in service since 1990 as the symbolic aircraft responsible for the president's global travels, was considered outdated and smaller compared to the presidential planes of other nations.

As the next-generation Air Force One ordered by the government has been delayed, the Boeing 747-8i, donated by the Qatari government and retrofitted to presidential specifications as the "VC-25B Bridge" model, was temporarily introduced and unveiled today to ease the operational burden on the existing fleet.

Following President Trump’s instructions, the exterior of this temporary presidential plane features a new livery with a darker navy blue and red stripes, replacing the traditional light blue design.

This aircraft will be used for key state visits during the remainder of President Trump's term as a temporary Air Force One. After he leaves office, it will not be passed on to the next president but will instead be transferred to the "Donald Trump Presidential Library" for permanent display.

Standing in front of the new Air Force One, President Trump added, "We will be spending a lot of time together in the future," and "We will be doing a lot of traveling together."

U.S. NNP = Lead Reporter Sung Ku Hong / Special Correspondent for NNP info@newsandpost.com