U.S. President Donald Trump made a grand entrance at the Daytona 500, with Air Force One performing a flyover before the start of the race. The aircraft, designated for the U.S. President, departed from Palm Beach International Airport, approximately 200 miles from Daytona International Speedway, creating a spectacle for attendees.
The Daytona 500, often dubbed the ‘Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing,’ is the most prestigious race in the American stock car series. Trump previously attended the event in 2020.
However, Trump’s aerial display came under scrutiny. A social media user on X criticized the stunt, and claimed that Trump ‘burned’ $25,000 of taxpayer’s money in jet fuel.
The user took a dig at Trump’s efforts of reducing federal government spending, citing that this money would be taken from other sources.
“Trump burned $25,000 in jet fuel, doing laps around Daytona in Air Force One, which will be paid for out of grandpa’s social security benefits,” the post read.
According to the US Air Force, the current Air Force One jets cost $206,337 per hour to operate, roughly translating to $3,400 per minute. However, Donald Trump is keen on getting the current pair of Boeing 747-8 to be replaced soon.
Trump unhappy over delay of new Air Force One jets
During his first term, President Trump signed a deal with Boeing to replace the current 747-8s with a new pair. The contract was signed in 2018 for $3.9 billion. The planes were slated to be delivered by the end of 2024. However, in July last year, Boeing delayed the date to at least 2027, or 2028.
A day before the Daytona 500, Trump toured a new Boeing plane. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung claimed this was a symbol of dissatisfaction by the US President. He said, as quoted by Reuters, “This highlights the project’s failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised.”
The aircraft in question is a 12-year-old plane which was previously owned by Qatar’s royal family. Boeing did not give any comment on Trump’s tour of the plane.
Elon Musk to help Boeing deliver new Air Force One
In January, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg mentioned that he was meeting Elon Musk to discuss the delivery of the new aircrafts.
He told CNBC, “The president wants those planes sooner so we’re working with Elon to see what can we do to pull up the schedule of those programs.”
Boeing is struggling with production due to supply chain issues, and the complexity of the aircraft. Air Force One must have all technical and safety capabilities as mandated by the White House. The $3.9 billion price tag too is becoming a problem due to high costs of development.
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