In July 2024, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced his running mate. JD Vance, Ohio’s current Senator, is Trump’s Vice Presidential contender (and now US Vice President-elect).
Trump and Vance both had private jets assigned to them for the 2024 campaign. Of course, as president and vice president, Trump and Vance will have access to and use Air Force One aircraft, but this is not an exclusive prerogative for candidates.
During the campaign, Vance flew a private, professionally branded, and outfitted 22-year-old Boeing 737-800. Vance’s jet has been dubbed Trump Force Two, while Trump’s private Boeing 757 is known as Trump Force One.
Aside from the type difference, there is one other significant distinction. While Trump owns the Boeing 757, Eastern Air Express (Texas) charters and operates the Vance 737.
Vance’s Boeing 737-800
Since July 2024, Vance has utilized a private Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Vance rebranded and fitted it out for private usage. Eastern 737 Asset Holdings LLC, an aircraft holding company based in Kansas City, Missouri, owns the aircraft, which is operated by Eastern Air Express (Texas).
Eastern Air Express is a private charter operator headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and is a subsidiary of the rebranded Eastern Airlines. It now operates a fleet of 18 aircraft, which includes two Boeing 737-800s, nine Boeing 737-400s, and three Boeing 737-700s. It focuses on charter work for the US government, which includes both civil and military positions.
Boeing 737-800
The airplane in question is registered as N917XA, a Boeing 737-800 that is just over 22 years old. Data from ch-aviation shows the following history:
- It was first ordered by Air Berlin in February 2001.
- It had its first flight in August 2002 and was handed to Air Berlin in September 2002. It flew for Air Berlin under the registration D-ABBF and had a 186-seat all-economy cabin.
- It was retired from service with Air Berlin in June 2012. Air Berlin stopped operation in 2017.
- Interestingly, Air Berlin had ordered 112 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, but only 84 were delivered.
It flew with the Russian scheduled carrier Orenair from June 2012 to March 2015. Orenair registered it as VP-BEN. - It flew with XTRA Airways (now Avelo Airlines) from May 2015 to March 2018. This is a scheduled airline situated in California that solely flies Boeing 737-700 and 737-800. The airplane was registered as N917XA in the United States at the time. XTRA Airways was well-known for providing private charter services to a variety of US VIPs, as well as government and political campaigns.
- From March 2018 to April 2024, it flew with iAero Airways, formerly Swift Air. This is a US-based passenger charter company. Following withdrawal, it was kept at Piedmont Triad International Airport.
- Eastern Air Express (Texas) has operated it since April 22nd, 2024.
- Since July 2024, it has served as Vance’s private plane (still operated by Eastern Air Express).
Renovation for Vance
Before July 2024, N917XA was relocated to Kansas City International Airport. It was refurbished and repainted for use in the Trump-Vance campaign. Photos shared at the time show the plane being readied.
The exact configuration of the 737’s interior remains unknown. Aircraft utilized for such duties are more likely to have a large number of seats than an executive and elegant interior. Domestic campaign flights are often short, and Vance and his team will be accompanied by a large number of staff members (and potentially reporters).
Where has Vance used his Boeing 737-800?
This aircraft’s specific monitoring is limited on platforms such as Flightradar24. Simple Flying analyzed the airplane role in November 2024 and found the following:
- According to JetSpy, the aircraft was busy throughout the year, particularly during the Presidential campaign coming up to the November 5th election.
- It flew 225 flights until November 2024, totaling 310 flying hours.
- In 2024, the aircraft visited the following airports the most: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C.; Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago, Illinois.
According to JetSpy, the aircraft has remained operational until 2025. The total number of flights flown per month since July 2024 is provided as follows:
- July 2024: 22 flights.
- August 2024: 43 flights.
- September 2024: 38 flights.
- October 2024: 72 flights.
- November 2024: 37 flights.
- December 2024: 28 flights.
- January 2025 (until January 8th): 15 flights.
Boeing 737-800
The Boeing 737-800 is a logical choice for such a huge private jet. The largest dedicated private planes, such as the Gulfstream G650 or G700 or the Bombardier Global 8000, may accommodate up to 20 people.
Trump and Vance would often travel with larger teams and equipment, necessitating a larger normal commercial narrowbody aircraft.
The Boeing 737 is ideal for this size, as well as the campaign trail’s primarily domestic US routes and airports. The Boeing 737-800 has long been the best-selling model of the entire series due to its excellent balance of range and capacity.
The 737-800 is part of the 737 Next Generation series. The 737-700, introduced in 1997, was succeeded by the 737-800 in 1998.
The Next Generation series, which featured efficient CFM56 engines, provided substantial performance and efficiency improvements over earlier models, allowing it to compete more effectively with modern Airbus aircraft.
The Boeing 737 series is second to the Airbus A320 family in terms of overall deliveries, however the 737-800 has more deliveries (4,989) than any other A320 variation.
Overall, the 737-800 features the following specs and performance statistics:
Trump Force One
Trump Force One.
The Boeing 757, registration N757AF, was built in 1991 and has the serial number 25155. The aircraft is registered to DJT Operations LLC, as per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Sterling Airways, a now-defunct Danish low-cost airline, purchased and operated the aircraft. The 757 then went to TAESA, a defunct Mexican airline, then Vulcan Northwest, a real estate company based in Seattle, Washington, before being purchased by DJT Operations in June 2011.
Trump Force One, like Vance’s 737, was quite active during the 2024 presidential campaign. According to JetSpy data, it made the following flights from July to November 2024:
- July 2024: Seventeen flights.
- August 2024: 31 flights.
- September 2024: 42 flights.
- October 2024: 62 flights.
- November 2024: 22 flights.
Previously, Trump flew a Cessna Citation X. Trump purchased this aircraft in 1991 and sold it in 2024.