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Taylor Rains
- Donald Trump's prized Boeing 757 private jet is a common backdrop at campaign rallies.
- The aircraft is just one in a collection of personal planes Trump has owned since the 1980s.
- The billionaire spent millions to outfit his fleet with gold-plated interiors and his family crest.
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Former President Donald Trump has a history of flaunting his wealth.
Among his best-known displays is the Boeing 757 private jet that became a centerpiece of his 2016 presidential rallies and has followed him on the campaign trail for his 2024 nomination.
Dubbed "Trump Force One," the aircraft cost him a reported $100 million in 2011 and is outfitted with luxuries like an en suite bedroom, several living areas, and the Trump family crest.
Trump's collection of private aircraft dates back decades, though it has shrunk over the years.
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The billionaire has also owned Sikorsky S-76B helicopters, a nine-seater Cessna Citation X, and a Boeing 727 tri-engine airliner — the latter considered the original Trump Force One.
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Trump's prized Boeing 757 is among his most flown private aircraft, having operated 72 flights so far in 2024.
According to the aircraft-tracking website JetSpy, Trump's 757 plane, registered N757AF, has flown 133 flight hours since January 1.
That compares with the 270 total flight hours across 132 flights the 757 flew in 2023. Most of his flying is between Palm Beach and New York City-area airports, per JetSpy.
The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to questions about Trump's jet use.
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Trump brought the aircraft out of storage in 2021 and has since been seen flying between his various homes and court appearances.
During his four years as head of state, Trump traveled using the government's presidential fleet and most likely did not expect to need his own aircraft so soon after winning his first presidential term.
But it didn't take long for him to spruce up the 757 with maintenance and a fresh paint job so it could once again parade around the US.
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The aircraft, complete with his name plastered in giant letters across the fuselage, has been the backdrop of Trump's 2024 rallies.
The 757 also served at his 2016 campaign rallies but with an old livery.
"Branding is a very effective business tool. That's No. 1," Trump told Business Jet Traveler in 2011 before he ran for president. "I also enjoy the spotlight."
It's an expensive and gas-hungry commodity, however, costing a collective $2.6 million in fuel and emitting about 4,100 tons of CO2 from 2023 to 2024, according to JetSpy data.
The customized plane has living rooms, bedrooms, TVs, gold-plated seatbelts, and a dining room, among other luxuries.
Trump bought the 33-year-old aircraft from the Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, and the $100 million price tag includes the jet and the VIP refurbishments.
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The 757 is the second rendition of the ex-president's line of "Trump Force One" planes. The first was an $8 million Boeing 727 tri-jet.
According to The New York Times, Trump's ownership of passenger airliners dates back to 1997, when he acquired his Boeing 727.
Registered as VP-BDJ and built in 1968, the aircraft previously flew for American Airlines. The aircraft has since been scrapped by a company called MotoArt, using parts of the fuselage to make keychains sold as "PlaneTags," according to the designer's website.
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The three-engine 727 aircraft is about half the size of the 757 and was said to still be worth up to $8 million when sold, per the Times.
Business Jet Traveler reported that the aircraft was sold in May 2011 after logging more than 40,000 flight hours.
In 2009, an aircraft charter broker told CNN Money that the 727 was worth between $4 million and $8 million but would be expensive to maintain and operate because of its old age and three engines.
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Luxuries like gold-plated seatbelts, bedrooms, showers, theater, and bidet touted Trump's riches.
Despite the fancy touches, the aircraft's costly operation made selling uniquely difficult.
"The problem with that plane is that the direct operation costs are so high," the broker told CNN Money. "It has three engines, so it would cost about $10,000 an hour to fly."
"There has to be a specific person who wants that plane — someone who wants it because it belonged to Donald Trump."
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Before the 727 was his personal plane, it was part of the Trump Shuttle fleet — a now-defunct US carrier that the ex-president owned until 1992.
Trump bought a US airline called Eastern Air Shuttle and its 17 Boeing 727s in 1988 for $365 million, according to a Washington Post article from the same year.
His vision turned the initially no-frills operation into a luxury carrier, outfitting the planes with luxe interiors, in-flight calling, and free meals and drinks.
The plan worked for a while, but the high operating costs weren't sustainable, and Trump Shuttle came under US Airways in 1992 and eventually American Airlines via a merger.
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Aside from his Boeing airliners, Trump has also galavanted around the world in a smaller Cessna Citation X business jet.
The Trump Organization's website says the Cessna's size makes it useful for flying into smaller airports that the 757 can't.
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The speedy 1997 Cessna Citation X, registered N725DT, was regularly seen along Trump's campaign trail.
The tail number nods to Trump Tower's New York City address, 725 Fifth Avenue, while the "DT" is Donald Trump's initials.
Trump's Cessna was less flashy than his airliners, sporting just the family crest on the fuselage instead of his name in giant letters.
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The "rocket in the sky" had space for up to nine people in the usual luxe interior.
Trump's Citation X variant could fly up to Mach 0.92, making it the fastest purpose-made business jet in existence until the updated Cessna Citation X+ first flew in 2012.
He could use it for longer journeys, like New York to California or Florida.
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The Cessna shuttled Trump to rallies in 2016, though at one point it was flying illegally.
Trump failed to renew the Cessna's registration when it expired in January 2016 but continued to fly it until the error was caught about three months later, The New York Times reported. He said the FAA sent the renewal notices to the wrong address.
Nevertheless, Trump avoided a lengthy reregistration process by establishing a new LLC in Delaware and selling the Cessna to that company.
This triggered a temporary registration, which the Times reported is granted to new aircraft owners and lets the plane fly again almost immediately.
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Trump, however, has recently sold the 27-year-old Cessna. FAA records show the jet was de-registered on May 13.
Jet Edge Partners, an Ohio-based aircraft broker, organized the sale of Trump's Citation X.
Sale details are unknown, but the private-charter company EvoJets estimates the acquisition price of a used Cessna Citation X would be about $10 million.
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Beyond jet aircraft, Trump's fleet has sported one Airbus and three Sikorsky S-76 helicopters.
In addition to personal helicopters, the business mogul also owned a helicopter service called Trump Air as a connector to his Trump Shuttle flights, BJT reported.
The service used Sikorsky S-61 and Boeing Chinooks before going under alongside the airline.
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In total, Trump has owned two 1989 S-76s, one 1990 S-76, and a Eurocopter Super Puma.
According to the Times' 2016 report, the two 1989 S-76s were worth $875,000, and the 1990 version was about $940,000.
While billionaires like Elon Musk fly modern private planes built in the 2010s, Trump typically buys older aircraft. In 2016, he told the Times that this strategy ensured he got good value out of his fleet.
"It was a little more plane than I needed, but I find it hard to resist a good deal when the opportunity presents itself," he said, referring to the 757.
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Probably his best-known helicopter, registered N76DT, sported the recognizable Trump logo and his staple red, black, and white livery.
Trump acquired N76DT in 2010 and used it for shorter hops on routes from New York to Boston and Washington, DC.
According to the Times, the other 1989 Sikorsky was purchased in 2014, and the 1990 variant, registered N76TE, was bought in 2012.
N76TE was used for things like marketing Trump's Scotland golf courses, taking the now-deregistered G-TRMP tail number in the UK.
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The helicopter interiors sport the same luxe vibes as his private planes, with Trump branding, leather seats, and gold finishings.
Famous for its use on "The Apprentice," the six-seater N67DT had two recliners and a four-person divan. The door panels were covered with leather and gold, and the wood interior was African mahogany.
According to CNBC, the interior of the similarly-looking N76TE helicopter cost Trump $6 million thanks to the significant gold plating.
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Since leaving office, Trump has put up two helicopters for sale, registrations N76TE and N76DT.
FAA records show neither is registered to an active aircraft, but both tail numbers have been reserved by Trump — most likely to attach to any future helicopter or planes he chooses to buy.
Trump's third S-76, tail number N7TP, is still registered with the FAA.
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The details of the sales are unknown, but The Independent reported that pre-owned S-76Bs typically sell for about $ 1 million.
When Trump put N76DT on the market, anyone could bid. The aircraft had operated some 20,000 flights in its 30 years of life.
The sale of both helicopters would bring Trump's once five-strong fleet of personal aircraft down to two.
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Despite selling off some of his aircraft, Trump has still held on to two — and he's hoping to keep them amid his legal battles.
The Associated Press reported in March that the ex-president could have lost his prized 757 had he not struck a deal for the $454 million civil penalty he owed New York after losing a recent fraud case. That case is still under appeal.
Considering the 757 aircraft has become an iconic symbol of Trump's riches as he vyes for the 2024 presidency, it's unlikely he'll willingly part with the VIP plane anytime soon.
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