On Trump Force One, KFC is on the menu and 45 is still president
- Flying with ex-president Donald Trump mimics a trip on Air Force One, with a twist
- Trip includes campaign music, Ron DeSantis insults, and eating fried chicken
Former US president Donald Trump wants back in the White House – badly. Look no further than the recreation of Air Force One protocols on his recent trip to Iowa, the key Republican early-voting primary state.
There had been questions as to whether he was fully committed to a third White House bid after a lacklustre November announcement. But the vernacular and procedures evident in travelling with the former president and current front runner for the Republican nomination cast light on Trump’s yearning for the trappings of the White House.
His Boeing 757, dubbed “Trump Force One”, a blue, red and white plane with his last name in bold, gold lettering, was visible from the road near the private Palm Beach airport, just as Air Force One was when Trump would visit Mar-a-Lago as president.
The small group of reporters travelling with Trump on March 13 were given gold, octagonal lanyards that said “Trump Force One Press Pool”, near-replicas of those issued during his administration. President Joe Biden’s White House has since changed the travelling badges to a longer, rectangular shape.
Reporters dropped their bags at their seats on the plane – just as they would have on Air Force One – before heading back down to the tarmac to watch Trump’s motorcade arrive. The former president hopped out of a black sport utility vehicle, waved and flashed a slight clenched fist and boarded.