唐纳德·特朗普总统周三首次乘坐新改装的空军一号747飞机，该飞机由卡塔尔王室捐赠。
特朗普将改装后的喷气式飞机带到北达科他州，将其吹捧为“可能是有史以来最伟大的商用飞机”。
“我对波音说，‘最好的是哪一款?’他们说这是有史以来最好的飞机，你将有驾驶它的特权，我也有驾驶它的特权，”特朗普在安德鲁斯联合基地登上这架大约有14年历史的飞机前告诉记者。
美国广播公司新闻部首席白宫记者玛丽·布鲁斯(Mary Bruce)正在与特朗普一起旅行，她询问特朗普关于使用纳税人的钱改装豪华飞机的问题，这架飞机可能只会由他使用。
“嗯，相对于我们以不同方式做这件事的成本来说，它的成本非常低，”特朗普说。
卡塔尔赠送的价值4亿美元的飞机引发了一些立法者和伦理专家对这一前所未有的外国礼物的质疑。但特朗普周三赞扬了卡塔尔政府。
“坦率地说，我们不能造这样的飞机，因为我们不愿意花必要的钱。他们花了大价钱，”总统说。
美国空军自9月以来一直在改造德克萨斯州的飞机，以满足运送总统的安全、通信和其他需求。空军估计翻新“礼物”花费不到4亿美元。
熟悉拟议安排的消息人士告诉ABC新闻，这架飞机将被用作新的空军一号，直到特朗普离任前不久，届时飞机的所有权将被转移到唐纳德·j·特朗普总统图书馆基金会。
美国政府已经与波音公司签约，建造一个新的喷气式飞机舰队，作为下一代空军一号，预计将于2028年特朗普离任时交付。
特朗普周三表示，这架有天赋的飞机是必要的，理由是过去的喷气式飞机的年龄。
“我们的空军一号已经35、36岁了，它会像这样停在新的旁边，看起来真的不适合我们的国家。所以我们对此非常自豪，”特朗普说。
特朗普将前往北达科他州参加自由250列车和欢迎仪式，并在梅多拉发表讲话前参观西奥多·罗斯福总统图书馆。
“我对第一次飞行感到兴奋。这是没有人见过的事情，即使是你们这些人，以你们所有的经验和才华，你们也永远不会看到这样的事情，”特朗普在离开前说道。“所以，他们刚刚完成了它。他们让它适合总统，这意味着安全和所有不同的铃铛和哨子。非常复杂的东西，但它真的很了不起，这是美国应该拥有的飞机。”
在空军一号里面
美国广播公司的布鲁斯是总统访问北达科他州记者团的一员，他乘坐的是改装过的飞机。在飞往北达科他州的航班上，记者们没有得到完整的参观，仍然被限制在记者舱内。
内饰配色方案是柔和的米色和棕褐色，带有一些带有深色木质装饰的金色色调。地毯是米色的，带有深褐色和奶油色条纹。
记者舱包含14个平躺舱，包括大型棕褐色真皮座椅，具有豪华功能，如腰部支撑和按摩功能。每个座位后面的电视播放白宫选择的有线频道。在周三的飞行中，它播出了福克斯新闻频道。
白宫发言人张致恒也在他的X账户上分享了内部照片。
Trump takes 1st flight on Air Force One gifted by Qatar, but retrofitted using taxpayer dollars
President Donald Trump on Wednesday is taking the first ride on the newly retrofitted Air Force One 747, which was donated by the Qatari royal family.
Trump, taking the retrofitted jet to North Dakota, touted it as "maybe the greatest commercial plane ever built."
"I said to Boeing, 'What's the best one?' They said this is the best plane ever built, and you're going to have the privilege of flying it, and I have a privilege also of flying it," Trump told reporters before boarding the jet -- which is approximately 14 years old -- at Joint Base Andrews.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce, who is traveling with Trump on his trip, asked him about the use of taxpayer dollars to modify the luxurious plane, which likely only will be used by him.
"Well, it cost very little relative to what it would cost if we did it a different way," Trump said.
The Qatari-gifted jet worth $400 million raised questions from some lawmakers and ethics experts over the unprecedented foreign gift. But Trump on Wednesday gave credit to the Qatari government.
"Frankly, we couldn't build a plane like this because we wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollar," the president said.
The U.S. Air Force has been modifying the jet in Texas since September to meet the security, communications and other needs to transport the president. The Air Force had estimated it would cost less than $400 million to retrofit the gift.
The plane is to be used as the new Air Force One until shortly before Trump leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangementhave told ABC News.
Boeing was already contracted by the United State government to build a new fleet of jets that would serve as the next-generation Air Force One, expected to be delivered in 2028 around the time Trump leaves office.
Trump on Wednesday said the gifted plane was needed, citing the age of the past jet.
"Our Air Force One was 35, 36 years old, and it would be parked next to the new ones like this, and it really didn't look appropriate for our country. So we're very proud of this," Trump said.
Trump is traveling to North Dakota to participate in a Freedom 250 Train Ride and Welcome Ceremony and to tour the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library before delivering remarks in Medora.
"I'm excited about the first flight. It's something nobody's ever seen anything like it, even you people, with all your experience and all of your talent, you will never see anything like this," Trump said just before his departure. "So, they just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president, that means the security and all of the different bells and whistles they put on. Very complex stuff, but it's really quite something, and this is a plane that the United States of America should have."
Inside the Air Force One
ABC's Bruce, part of the press pool for the president's visit to North Dakota, flew on the retrofitted plane. Reporters were not given a full tour on the flight to North Dakota and remained confined to the press cabin.
The interior color scheme is soft beige and tan with some gold hues with dark wood accents. The carpet is beige with dark tan and cream stripes.
The press cabin contains 14 lie-flat pods, including large tan leather seats with luxury features such as lumbar supports and massage functions. Televisions on the back of each seat played a cable channel of the White House's choosing. During Wednesday's flight, it aired Fox News.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung also shared pictures of the interior on his X account.
