Published on 6/20/2026
US President Donald Trump announced that he will visit Türkiye soon in addition to China later this year, while his Secretary of State Marco Rubio intends to tour the Middle East next week.
During a ceremony held at Joint Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on the occasion of the entry into service of the new presidential plane – a gift from Qatar – after comprehensive modernization, Trump said, “We will travel a lot with this plane. We will soon go to Türkiye.” In reference to his participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit hosted by Ankara next July.
Trump stated that he will return to China again this year, pointing out that Chinese President Xi Jinping will come to the United States next September.
He added, “But we will return to attend a major conference in China,” where Trump had visited Beijing last May and held discussions with his Chinese counterpart.
The most luxurious plane in the world
Regarding the new presidential plane, Trump described it – while looking at it – as the most luxurious plane in the world, and possessing unparalleled communication systems and defense equipment with the latest technologies.
Trump noted that the plane was transformed into a “flying White House” within a short period not exceeding 10 months, thanking about 250 people who worked on the project.
He stated that the new aircraft will lead a major air show in Washington on the occasion of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, with the participation of many combat aircraft.
Trump thanked Qatar and its Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, for gifting this plane, which will officially bear the symbol “Air Force One” once the US President is on board.
The giant plane underwent a comprehensive renovation conducted by L.3 Harris Technologies, a contracting company with the Ministry of Defense. It also underwent flight tests and was painted in the colors chosen by Trump, which are red, white, dark blue, and gold.
In May 2025, the Pentagon announced that the United States had officially accepted the plane that Qatar had gifted to President Donald Trump, and the Air Force was then asked to find a way to quickly develop it, to become a new presidential plane for the American president.
In the context of the American moves, Axios quoted two sources as saying that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio intends to visit the Middle East next week.
He explained that Rubio is expected to visit Kuwait, the Emirates, and Bahrain, as the visit comes days after Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, electronically signed the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” which paves the way for ending the war that began between the United States, Israel, and Iran on February 28 of last year.
