President Trump plans to use the Boeing jet gifted to him by Qatar for an upcoming trip to Ireland, sending the aircraft outside the United States for the first time since questions emerged about whether it can properly shield him from an attack.
\n\nA senior administration official told the Washington Post that the decision to fly the plane comes just weeks after Trump had signaled it would be sidelined for roughly a month so it could receive unspecified security enhancements. Today, whilst interacting with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said "it'll take about 60 days", when he was asked how many days it'll take to max out the Qatari jet.
\n\nAccording to a report from The Guardian, when pressed for more detail, a senior administration official speaking on background offered only a general response, telling the publication that officials do not discuss specific changes made to Air Force One and that they work to keep the aircraft's protective capabilities current without commenting further on the process.
\n\nConcerns about the plane's ability to defend against an attack resurfaced after Trump's most recent trip on it, a visit to a NATO summit in Turkey back in July.
\n\nStill aboard that original…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world
