New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman described the retrofitting of President Donald Trump’s Qatari jet as “rushed” after he switched to the old Air Force One as he departed Turkey on Wednesday. Haberman told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that while she and Jonathan Swan were reporting on Trump’s plan to turn the gifted Qatari jet into a new Air Force One last year, sources said the plane could not be properly fitted with the defense capabilities needed to protect the president.
Security Concerns and Retrofit Issues
“Despite the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that were already spent to retrofit this plane for security, what remains?” Haberman asked. Haberman added that the most significant development from Wednesday’s plane swap was reports indicating passengers aboard the old Air Force One were ordered to keep their window shades down while departing from Turkey.
“In my experience, you have those blinds down when you are on a potentially dangerous flight, such as when presidents have gone into Iraq or when military aircraft would go into Iraq during the war,” Haberman said.
Official Denials and Explanations
The New York Times reported that the plane switch was due to security concerns from the Secret Service amid renewed hostilities with Iran. But Trump denied the reports when pressed on Air Force One, saying the switch was so that troops stationed in the United Kingdom could see the newly renovated plane.
As for the closing of the window shades, Trump said it was because they were “probably on a dangerous flight.” “I have a threat all the time. I’m No. 1 on their list,” Trump said when asked if he knew about any credible threat against Air Force One by Iran.
Trump also added that he wasn’t aware of the order for passengers to close the window shades. Watch the full clip of Haberman’s interview with Collins here:
