Why Donald Trump Is So Obsessed With Planes
The president is very excited about his lavish new “palace in the sky.”
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump is said to been prone to temper tantrums every time his plane breaks down.
Political journalist Michael Wolff told The Daily Beast Podcast that it is one of the reasons he’s so obsessed with his shiny new luxury private jet, a $400 million gift from the Qatari royal family.
The Boeing 747-8 has two bedrooms, nine bathrooms, five galleys, a private office, and at least three lounges.
Double seats in the upper deck, with a living room just beyond.
AMAC Aerospace
A living room on the upper deck of the Boeing 747-8 features an L-shaped couch, built-in bookshelves, and built-in big-screen TV.
AMAC Aerospace
Wolff said that Trump has been “desperate for a new plane” of this caliber, and is “more excited than anyone else” to snag the Qatari aircraft for free.
Most people are annoyed when their flight gets delayed, but Wolff said Trump would absolutely flip out on the campaign trail anytime there was a minor snafu with his air travel plans. Lost luggage? Don’t even suggest the possibility.
“Trump Force One was always breaking down. It would go out of commission for a month here, a month there, and he would freak,” said Wolff. “He would, as they say, lose his s--t.”
On one occasion, a staffer accidentally deployed a plan’s emergency evacuation chute. “That person was promptly fired,” added Wolff.
Trump’s the president—can’t he just snap his fingers and charter another ride? Well, said Wolff, planes are “pieces of Trump branding.” He could hop on a plane at any time, ”but those planes don’t say Donald Trump on them."
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“It doesn’t seem to matter that he will be bugged. It doesn’t seem to matter that he’s clearly being bribed,” said Wolff of the Qatari gift. “Nothing seems to matter. There was a back and forth today with him saying, ‘Who wouldn’t take a billion dollar plane?’”
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