If you're attached to that classic baby-blue Air Force One look, you might want to take some photos. The presidential aircraft fleet is getting a complete color overhaul, trading the Kennedy-era design for President Donald Trump's preferred palette of red, white, gold, and dark blue.
Air Force One Gets a Makeover: Trump Replaces Iconic Kennedy-Era Blue With Bold New Colors
Get Market Alerts
Weekly insights + SMS alerts
Trump's Vision Finally Takes Flight
The new color scheme will make its debut on two heavily modified Boeing 747s designated VC-25B, the next-generation jets that carry the "Air Force One" call sign when the president is aboard. According to CBS News, this isn't exactly a fresh idea. Trump first pitched this design back in 2018, but it got shelved under President Joe Biden over worries about cost and engineering complications.
Now it's full steam ahead. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed to CBS that the red, white, gold, and dark blue paint requirement applies not just to the VC-25B program but to the entire executive airlift fleet. That includes a gifted Boeing 747-8i from Qatar and four Boeing C-32 jets that typically fly the vice president and other senior officials.
Out With the Old, In With the Patriotic
Some existing blue-and-white aircraft are already getting their makeovers as they cycle through scheduled maintenance. The first C-32 has completed its new paint job at L3 Harris's facility in Greenville, Texas, and should rejoin the fleet within months.
This represents a significant departure from the robin's-egg blue and white look that's defined the presidency since the 1960s, when designer Raymond Loewy created what became one of the most recognizable symbols of American power.
Trump has consistently championed a more overtly patriotic design. "Air Force One is going to be incredible," he said in 2018, according to Reuters. "It's going to be the top of the line, the top in the world. And it's going to be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate."
The Troubled VC-25B Program Continues
Meanwhile, the VC-25B program itself, based on the Boeing 747-8, keeps running into delays and cost overruns. Delivery is now expected near the end of the decade. As a temporary solution, the Air Force is converting the Qatari 747-8 into an interim presidential aircraft, which will also sport the new colors once all the upgrades and security modifications are finished.
More News

Microsoft and Stellantis Are Building 100 AI Tools for Your Car. Here's What That Means.
Circle April 20th on your calendar

Schwab's Record Quarter Meets Crypto Rollout, But Stock Takes a Dive

PayPal's Rough Ride: Lawsuits, Scrapped Targets, and a Venmo Bright Spot

A Senator's Magnificent Seven Shopping Spree: Why He's Betting on Microsoft and Nvidia in 2026

Trump's Executive Order 14330: What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know

Navitas Semiconductor Stock Surges 13% After Adding Broadcom Veteran to Board

TotalEnergies Stock Jumps on Strong First-Quarter Forecast
Get Market News Alerts
Real-time alerts on price moves, news, and trading opportunities.
Join 20,000+ investors. No spam, ever.
Featured Articles
View all news
Microsoft and Stellantis Are Building 100 AI Tools for Your Car. Here's What That Means.

Trump's Executive Order 14330: What Wall Street Doesn't Want You to Know (Ad)

Schwab's Record Quarter Meets Crypto Rollout, But Stock Takes a Dive

PayPal's Rough Ride: Lawsuits, Scrapped Targets, and a Venmo Bright Spot

A Senator's Magnificent Seven Shopping Spree: Why He's Betting on Microsoft and Nvidia in 2026
Mar-a-Lago Bombshell (Ad)

Navitas Semiconductor Stock Surges 13% After Adding Broadcom Veteran to Board





