Trump’s Air Force One has a new gold, red, white and blue paint scheme

New York, 18 February 2026: According to US President Donald Trump’s personal preference, the entire fleet of Air Force One and presidential planes is getting a new look. This includes gold, red, white, and dark blue colours. This scheme will replace the traditional light blue and white colours of the Kennedy era.

The Air Force has revealed a new colour scheme

The US Air Force announced this on 17 February 2026. The new paint scheme will primarily use red, white, dark blue and a gold stripe. Trump stated that this colour scheme matches the American flag. An Air Force spokesperson said, “The new paint scheme (red, white, gold and dark blue) has been made mandatory for VC-25B as well as additional executive air transport fleets.”

This scheme will be applied to all aircraft used for the travel of the President, Vice President, First Lady and senior officials.

The traditional colour of the Kennedy era is going to change

The light blue and white colours currently on Air Force One have been in use since the 1960s during President John F. Kennedy’s era. A new colour scheme was introduced in 2019 during Trump’s first term, but the Biden administration cancelled it in 2022 because the dark colours could increase heat inside the plane. Now, this scheme has been brought back in Trump’s second term.

Trump’s reaction and similarity to his private jet

President Trump told Fox News, “We are doing it red, white and blue, like the American flag. It’s amazing.” This colour scheme will look like Trump’s private Boeing 757 jet (Trump Force One). In 2019, Trump had also showcased a model of this plan.

Which planes will it be implemented on?

• VC-25B: New Boeing 747-8 planes for Air Force One (delivery expected by 2028).
• Qatar donated 747: used as an interim Air Force One.
• C-32A (Boeing 757): For the Vice President and other senior officials. One of these planes has already been painted in the new colour and will be delivered soon.

The Air Force said that these changes are being made during regular maintenance and repairs.

Background and challenges of the program

The Air Force One program has been with Boeing since 2018. Initially, the deal was for 3.9 billion dollars, but now the cost has gone over 5 billion dollars. Additional planes have been bought for training and spare parts for two new 747-8 planes. There used to be concerns about heat due to the dark colors, but now the Air Force says they have sorted it out.

This new color scheme is considered important not just aesthetically but also for the presidential image. The Trump administration called it “like the American flag”.