Transcription
President Trump is heading to North Dakota at this hour, taking his first flight on the new Air Force One as he heads west for America 250 celebrations. The $400 Boeing 747 was given to the US by Cutter. President Trump called it the greatest commercial plane ever built. He said the jet cost American taxpayers very little.
"I went to Qatar. I said I'd like to use it for a period of time because the other ones as you know are under construction. They'll be here in 2 years. And cuz you know the plane is 35 years old. So I said I'd like to use it. And the Emir, Tamim, who's a great gentleman, he said, 'No, no, I'd like to make a contribution to the country.'"
All right, let's get to the White House and CBS News correspondent Natalie Brand. Hey Natalie, what more do we know about the new Air Force One?
"Hi Hugo. Well, keep in mind that this luxury plane from Cutter has already drawn a lot of scrutiny from critics and lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have raised concerns about security, potential conflict of interest. As you noted, it's valued at around $400 million gifted by Cutter. Uh the president has downplayed that. He was asked what was the cost to taxpayers of retrofitting this plane since while the cabin layout wasn't really changed, they did have to of course make upgrades to security, uh make this plane fit for presidential use. He didn't give an answer uh to that question. And also keep in mind Hugo that he noted this is just temporary because basically the White House is waiting for Boeing to deliver some long delayed long delayed future presidential aircraft. That's expected in 2028. But for now, he's flying this new plane. It has a new color scheme. We've also seen some pictures uh from inside from White House uh, press staff uh, that have talked about it's very luxurious uh, comfy seats, layback seats. Uh, it's described as a very luxurious plane for this temporary use."
Yeah, it certainly looks good from what we can see in those photos there. Natalie, the other big story out of the White House is new financial disclosure showing that President Trump made more than a billion dollars while in office. Where are these profits coming from and what is the president saying about it?
"Yeah, the president was asked directly about this by reporters on his way to North Dakota. Uh, you see there what this financial disclosure revealed that uh, according to the filing last year the president made more than a billion dollars total. That is breaks down into about 635 million in royalties from Trump meme coins and then more than 500 million dollars from World Liberty Financial Token sales. That's a crypto firm that launched during the 2024 presidential campaign co-founded by the president, his sons and also the sons of special envoy Steve Witkoff. So, you know, the president was asked by reporters uh, whether there's a potential conflict of interest here, what he would say to critics who argue he's profiting off the presidency. The president, you know, downplayed it saying the stock market is up and that a lot of people are profiting. Here's more of what he had to say."
"I don't get involved in my personal we have funds that run my money."
"But you are benefiting from the"
"Well, I've made a lot of money before I became president and they invest my money and I don't talk to them. I never I don't even speak to them. So, I have many people. I don't know what they call closed accounts or something. You put your money in and that's it. I don't talk to them."
"Yeah, there the president is distancing himself from his personal financial dealings. The White House also issued a statement saying that there are no conflicts of interest. But of course, again, these the Trump family's crypto investments certainly have drawn a lot of scrutiny from critics and again Democratic lawmakers over on the hill."
And Natalie, just yesterday the president announced a first-ever GOP midterm convention, clearly with the November elections in mind. What do we know about that?
"Yeah, this is really unique because, you know, conventions are typically we see just during presidential campaign years, the president taking to social media to announce this kind of first of its kind GOP convention. He says set for Dallas in in a couple of months' time. And really what it shows is an effort to try to rally the Republican Party at a time when, you know, Democrats are feeling very confident about their chances in the fall. It will be interesting to see, Muga, whether Democrats try to do something to match this. But again, all we know right now is really what the president posted on social media saying that it's going to be in Dallas, Texas, and really tout some of his administration's policies that that he believes have worked to lower costs as affordability remains such a key issue during this midterm campaign cycle."
Okay, Natalie Brand at the White House for us today. Thank you so much for your time.