On February 17th, the US Air Force announced that its administrative transport fleet, including the new generation Air Force One presidential plane, will be fully equipped with a new livery, planned to use red, white, gold, and deep blue tones. I'm not sure about the ratio of these colors at the moment.

The new paint scheme abandons the blue and white livery that has been used since John F. Kennedy became president, and reintroduces the red, white, and blue color scheme proposed by Trump during his first term. It is reported that Trump's color scheme was once considered by the Air Force to be a potential overheating issue due to the dark coating. In 2022, the then Biden administration rejected the scheme as it "may increase additional engineering, time, and cost". However, the US Air Force did not provide a detailed explanation on how the new coating solution will solve the heat dissipation problem.

According to sources, a Boeing 747-8 luxury aircraft gifted by Qatar and two "Air Force One" aircraft currently under contract by Boeing will both adopt new livery.

In addition, four modified Boeing 757-200 aircraft will also adopt new livery for travel by vice presidents, cabinet members, members of Congress, and other senior government officials. These 757-200 aircraft will undergo new livery during regular maintenance. According to the US Air Force, one of the aircraft has completed painting and is expected to be delivered for use in the coming months.

In 2015, the US Air Force selected the Boeing 747-8 aircraft as the new presidential plane model to replace the two "Air Force One" aircraft converted from the Boeing 747-200 that were put into use in 1990.

In 2018, during his first presidential term, Trump signed a contract with Boeing to build two new Air Force One aircraft based on the new 747-8 model. The related project aims to retrofit two Boeing 747-8 aircraft into specialized planes equipped with advanced communication and defense systems, serving as the next generation of air transport vehicles for the President of the United States. Due to various reasons, the Air Force One project continues to face delays in delivery and cost overruns. Boeing's total cost of building these two new aircraft has now exceeded $5 billion. The US Air Force announced in December 2025 that the delivery of Boeing's first new aircraft has been postponed to mid-2028, while the previous schedule indicated that the aircraft could be delivered in 2027.

In 2025, the US Department of Defense accepted a Boeing 747-8 luxury aircraft as a "gift" from Qatar. The US Air Force has been requested to quickly upgrade and retrofit it into a specialized aircraft that meets the requirements for Trump's use. The US military has selected defense contractor L3 Harris Technologies to retrofit this aircraft.

Air Force One has military grade communication capabilities and can perform aerial refueling. The aircraft is equipped with a medical room, conference room, staff area, and presidential exclusive space. The plane gifted by Qatar is more like a 'palace of flight', with luxurious interiors emphasizing comfort rather than military functionality, and lounge, dining areas, and other designs more in line with social needs. It is reported that this aircraft is expected to be put into use as Air Force One no later than this summer.