The Western Journal reported late last week that former President Donald Trump’s personal Boeing 757 has returned to West Palm Beach, Florida after undergoing renovations at a facility in Louisiana.
What’s more, Western Journal contributor Richard Moorhead pointed out how the plane has undergone one small change which could have profound implications.
Capital “T” on tail replaced with American flag
Specifically, the plane previously sported a capital “T” on its tail that has since been changed to an American flag, something Moorhead took as “a possible indication of the aircraft’s use in an upcoming comeback presidential campaign.”
Turning Point USA activist Benny Johnson tweeted out a video clip from CNN which noted that the aircraft ran a series of pattern flights in Louisiana prior to finally departing for Florida.
“It is common after a plane has had upgrades — or other new equipment or general avionic tweaks — for pilots to make a series of test flights to ensure safety and function,” former National Transportation Safety Board official Peter Goelz was quoted as saying.
What’s more, Johnson suggested that Trump’s upgrades to his plane could be a sign that he expects to use it in 2024 to challenge President Joe Bide.
BREAKING: Brand-new Trump Force One plane SPOTTED arriving in West Palm Beach— 2024?! pic.twitter.com/XSdt5fOkUa
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 21, 2022
The Trump Organization is a real estate company owned by the former president, and it put out a tweet this past July which touted an earlier round of renovations.
SHE’S BACK!
“During my four years in the WH, I didn’t use everybody’s favorite airplane, the Boeing 757 we campaigned on for our big 2016 WIN. Now it has been completely modernized and renovated…coming back to the skies in the Fall of 2022, or maybe sooner…” – Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/fYNEakrasE
— The Trump Organization (@Trump) July 6, 2022
Plane dubbed “Trump Force One”
Trump heavily used the private jet during his successful 2016 presidential campaign, with supporters jokingly dubbing it “Trump Force One.”
An article published by Time magazine in January of 2016 described the aircraft as being “as much a symbol of the developer’s power and prestige as Air Force One for the President.”
It stated that Trump often held press conferences aboard the plane while surrounded by “gold trim along the wood-paneled tables.”