President Donald Trump has decided to retain the controversial $70 million luxury jet leased by former Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem, according to a report. The Boeing 737 Max 8, which features a queen-size bed, showers, a kitchen, four flat-screen TVs, and a cocktail bar, will now be available for use by first lady Melania Trump and cabinet secretaries.
The aircraft was originally intended for Noem to carry out “high-profile deportations.” Despite her departure last month, the administration has pressed ahead with the purchase, transferring responsibility from the Department of Homeland Security to a more general use. A DHS spokesperson said the plane will provide “secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility” for cabinet members.
The jet, considered more luxurious than Air Force Two used by Vice President JD Vance, has drawn criticism from immigration hardliners. RJ Hauman of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement called it “offensive” to waste millions on a jet that “won’t remove a single illegal alien.” Marc Short, former chief of staff to Mike Pence, noted the purchase contradicts Trump’s promises of cutting wasteful spending.
Noem was removed by Trump in March after 13 months marked by controversy, including a botched operation in Minneapolis that left two U.S. citizens dead, and allegations of an extramarital affair with her top adviser. She was demoted to a new role as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, replaced by former Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin.
