On Thursday, reports began surfacing that President Trump was supposedly looking at making some big changes to the new Air Force Ones due to be delivered sometime after the next presidential election. In addition to having a more comfortable bed, Trump was looking to update the paint scheme which dated to over five decades to President John F. Kennedy. Since the paint job was tied to the Democratic Party icon, CBS was clearly nervous about whatever ghastly ideas the President had.
“There is perhaps no more impressive or majestic symbol of the American presidency than Air Force One,” declared anchor Jeff Glor as they came back from a commercial break. “President Trump believes next generation of the aircraft needs some changes, including a new color scheme.”
As the video report began, CBS transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave touted how the current blue and white look of the Boeing 747s “owes its iconic look to President John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie.” “But they may drop the iconic look for a new Trump-inspired red, white, and blue design,” he said.
In an interesting look back at history, Van Cleave noted that Trump wouldn’t be the first president to change the look of the presidential aircraft:
Mr. Trump would not be first commander-in-chief to make changes to a presidential aircraft. Harry Truman left behind Roosevelt's non-descript “Sacred Cow” for the eye-catching “Independence,” painted as an eagle. President Eisenhower got the first jet; going with a standard military paint job, but every president since Kennedy has stayed with the look he created.
Van Cleave spoke with longtime journalist Ken Walsh, who wrote a book about the history of Air Force One, and he was quite frightened of the possible designs Trump would think up.
“President Trump is perfectly willing to upend a lot of the norms of Washington and the conventions of Washington, and it appears that includes Air Force One,” Walsh declared. “It's just a concern that President Trump, the showman, is going to go too far with changing the look of this iconic plane that so many people are familiar with, and a lot of people wonder, ‘why do it?’”
Speaking about Kennedy’s design, Walsh gushed about how “[i]t was all part of this whole pattern of him trying to increase the visibility of the presidency as an active office and as a glamorous office, which he succeed in doing.”
In wrapping up the segment, Cleave seemed to admit the president’s bed did need an upgrade. “Another of the reported changes President Trump is considering, a bigger, better presidential bed on board the new plane. The current bed has been compared to something like a futon,” he explained to Glore.
With all this hyperventilating about the future look of the plane, it seemed like they expected the design would be something President Trump sketched out on a cocktail napkin. Whatever the future design will be, Boeing will undoubtedly have expert designers and artists on the job.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
July 12, 2018
6:46:34 PM EasternJEFF GLOR: There is perhaps no more impressive or majestic symbol of the American presidency than Air Force One. President Trump believes next generation of the aircraft needs some changes, including a new color scheme. Here's Kris Van Cleave.
[Cuts to video]
KRIS VAN CLEAVE: The blue and white 747 known to most as Air Force One, owes its iconic look to President John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie. So, Kennedy wanted an airplane that built the brand of the presidency.
KEN WALSH: It was all part of this whole pattern of him trying to increase the visibility of the presidency as an active office and as a glamorous office, which he succeed in doing.
CLEAVE: Ken Walsh wrote: Air Force One: A History of the President and Their Planes.
WALSH: President Trump is perfectly willing to upend a lot of the norms of Washington and the conventions of Washington, and it appears that includes Air Force One.
CLEAVE: Shortly after taking office, Mr. Trump took the unusual step of personally negotiating with Boeing for two brand-new 747s.
DONALD TRUMP: Well, the plane is totally out of control. It's going to be over $4 billion for Air Force One program.
CLEAVE: They will be delivered sometime after 2020. But they may drop the iconic look for a new Trump-inspired red, white, and blue design. Mr. Trump would not be first commander-in-chief to make changes to a presidential aircraft. Harry Truman left behind Roosevelt's non-descript “Sacred Cow” for the eye-catching “Independence,” painted as an eagle. President Eisenhower got the first jet; going with a standard military paint job, but every president since Kennedy has stayed with the look he created.
WALSH: It's just a concern that President Trump, the showman, is going to go too far with changing the look of this iconic plane that so many people are familiar with, and a lot of people wonder, “why do it?”
[Cuts back to live]
CLEAVE: Another of the reported changes President Trump is considering, a bigger, better presidential bed on board the new plane. The current bed has been compared to something like a futon. Jeff?
GLOR: Okay, Kris van Cleave, thank you very much.
