President Biden disembarks from Air Force One in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on May 20. Photo: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Biden ditched former President Trump's red, white and blue paint design for the next version of Air Force One after a review found the paint scheme could increase costs of construction, AP reports.
Driving the news: “The Trump paint scheme is not being considered because it could drive additional engineering, time and cost," an administration official told Politico, which first reported on the news.
- The official said Trump's design to include dark blue paint on the plane's underbelly could create heating issues for the plane, potentially driving up costs and taking more time to construct, Politico reports.
- The color scheme could also slow the delivery of the jets, the report found.
The big picture: Trump in 2018 said he wanted to update the paint job of the next version of Air Force One for a bolder, "more American" look, Axios' Mike Allen reported.
- Trump sought to change the plane's blue-and-white look, designed by then-President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the early 1960s. "The baby blue doesn’t fit with us," Trump said of Air Force One to Fox News in 2019, per Politico.
- The new Air Force One planes are not expected to be in use until 2026, Politico notes.
Go deeper... Scoop: Trump wants tough new Air Force One paint job