The renovation of a "gifted" Air Force One jet from Qatar is turning out to be anything but free, and conveniently, no one in Washington seems eager to talk about the price tag. Officially, the cost is classified. Unofficially, nearly US$1 billion appears to have been shuffled into an over-budget nuclear missile modernization program. It’s a clever bit of bureaucratic sleight of hand that even seasoned DC watchers find controversial.
Meanwhile, President Trump has loudly criticized the US$2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve HQ, yet the sky-high cost of his personalized presidential plane remains grounded in secrecy; this Air Force One upgrade proves that in Washington, the real cost often flies under the radar.
Dive into the gallery to track the trail of dollars behind the president’s not-so-free ride.