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See the full story · 1 sourcesPresident Donald Trump added a new Air Force One, a VC-25B Bridge, to the presidential fleet. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
US presidents travel in a variety of secure vehicles, including planes, helicopters, and cars.
He flies on Air Force One, a militarized Boeing 747, and occasionally a militarized Boeing 757.
For shorter trips, presidents use Marine One or a secure limousine known as "The Beast."
The president of the United States never has to sit in traffic or fight for the last space in a plane's overhead bin.
With a fleet of planes, helicopters, and vehicles at the US president's disposal, the leader of the free world travels in style.
While aesthetics are certainly a consideration when designing official planes or limousines, presidential transportation prioritizes safety and functionality.
Every plane, helicopter, or car also becomes a moving Oval Office with features that allow the president to lead the country and communicate securely while in transit.
Take a look at the modes of official transportation available to the US president.
Perhaps the president's most famous mode of transportation, the best-known Air Force One is a militarized Boeing 747 designated VC-25A.
Air Force One transporting US President Donald Trump from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to attend the NATO summit in The Hague, lands at Amsterdam's Schiphol aiport on June 24, 2025. NATO leaders hold a two-day summit on June 24 and 25 in The Hague. (Photo by Koen van Weel / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT Koen van Weel/ANP via Getty Images
Air Force One is the call sign given to any US Air Force plane carrying a US president.
The first plane built specifically for use by the US president was the "Sacred Cow," a Douglas VC-54C Skymaster used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt beginning in 1944. Since then, presidential aircraft have evolved with state-of-the-art technology to function as a "flying White House" with all the capabilities of the Oval Office and the Situation Room.
Today's presidential plane, a modified Boeing 747-200B designated VC-25A, measures 231 feet long and features 4,000 square feet of floor space, including offices, rest areas, an executive stateroom with a full bathroom and dressing room, and a conference room.
It can hold 30 crew members and 71 passengers. Each VC-25A plane cost around $325 million.
The president also occasionally flies on a militarized Boeing 757 known as a C-32.
President Trump departs on a Boeing C-32 en route to the New York Yankees game at Joint Base Andrews in Prince Georges County, MD, on September 11, 2025. Austin DeSisto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
At 155 feet long, the C-32 is smaller than the VC-25A with room for 16 crew members and 45 passengers.
It usually functions as the vice president's plane , but the president uses it to fly into and out of smaller airports that aren't built to support the massive primary 747 aircraft.
Each C-32 cost around $145 million to produce, according to the Air Force .
In July, Trump flew for the first time on a new Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar, a Boeing 747-8 retrofitted as a VC-25B Bridge.
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND - JULY 22: Air Force One is seen on the tarmac on July 22, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. President Trump is returning from attending a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base and a rally in Georgia. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
With Boeing running years behind schedule on delivering new 747-8 planes , President Donald Trump looked elsewhere in his efforts to upgrade the presidential fleet.
In May 2025, the Trump administration accepted a Boeing 747-8, a private business jet previously used by the Qatari royal family, saying he'd be "stupid" to turn down the gift. The White House said the plane would be "retrofitted to the highest standards" to serve as a new Air Force One.
Known as the VC-25B Bridge since it serves as an interim presidential aircraft, the plane is larger than the VC-25A, measuring 250 feet long, and about 20 years younger. The newer-generation jet can also fly faster and farther with a range of 8,900 miles at 660 miles per hour.
The luxurious jet features spacious interiors with lounges, offices, dining areas, and bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.
The new plane is valued at around $400 million. In June 2025, Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink told Congress that retrofitting it for presidential use would cost less than $400 million.
In July, a New York Times investigation identified $934 million had been transferred from a nuclear modernization program to a top-secret project, which the outlet reported could be used to upgrade Trump's Air Force One. The Air Force declined to comment.
Trump flew on the VC-25B Bridge for the first time on July 1 to dedicate the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota. On July 8, Trump switched back to the old VC-25A Air Force One to fly back from a NATO summit in Turkey. He then boarded the VC-25B Bridge for the flight back to Joint Base Andrews.
The switch sparked questions about the new plane's security and defensive capabilities, but at the time, Trump said it was so that US service members could see the plane.
Trump told reporters on July 19 that the VC-25B Bridge would soon be removed from service for a month to be "maxed out."
There's also the E-4B Nightwatch, nicknamed the "doomsday plane," which is designed to survive nuclear war.
The E-4B "Nightwatch" is also known as the "doomsday plane." Justin Oakes/US Air Force
In the event of a national emergency, such as a nuclear attack, the E-4B can protect the president and other senior officials and serve as the US military's command-and-control center.
A militarized version of a Boeing 747-200, the " doomsday plane " can refuel mid-flight to stay airborne for days at a time. It features thermal and nuclear shielding, as well as greater communication capabilities than regular Air Force One planes. Each E-4B cost $2...
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