# Does Trump's Private Jet Have a Military Escort? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [September 17, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382 "2024-09-17T13:26:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/1 "2024-09-17T13:26:17Z")
Does Trump’s private jet have a military escort of fighter aircraft as it flies around the country? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/2 "2024-09-18T17:38:20Z")
According to this BBC article, ex-presidents don’t get military protection, only Secret Service. > **[Ex-agent explains why protecting Trump is such a unique challenge](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6qvg78z8no)** > > The amount of time he spends outside, the exuberance of his fan base and the number and size of rallies are among difficulties. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/3 "2024-09-18T17:45:55Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#): > > Does Trump’s private jet have a military escort of fighter aircraft as it flies around the country? Not that I’ve ever noticed. I suppose that doesn’t mean they’re not there, but I’ve never seen it. What I do see, however, (at least in my area) is the Coast Guard’s helicopter up in the air about 15 minutes before Air Force 1 lands or takes off. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/4 "2024-09-20T17:39:32Z")
How would something like that work anyway? IIRC most fighter jets don’t have the range of a big jet, plus most airports are not equipped to handle turn-around of air force jets? Tag-teaming following? Ensure they have fuel to make it to a nearby AFB? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2024, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/5 "2024-09-20T17:41:16Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Ensure they have fuel to make it to a nearby AFB? Probably this. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/6 "2024-09-20T17:59:46Z")
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Air Force One briefly had a military escort of two fighter jets, I believe when it was flying Bush back to Washington. This was considered a pretty big deal and indicative of how serious the unfolding events were. I would assume from this that such a military escort was a highly unusual one-time event even for AF1. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/7 "2024-09-21T16:30:52Z")
Most fighters have an unrefueled ferry range of 2000+ miles. Bigger ones can do 3k with drop tanks. Enough to get pretty much anywhere Trump would be flying nonstop. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/8 "2024-09-23T05:27:05Z")
I guess the point would be - would the secret service think is it overkill? After all, any nutbar can get an AR15 or several (and so far, many have) and walk up to some perimeter around the protectee, but the things some average nutbar can do to an aircraft are (a) quite limited and (b) not often something a fighter jet can deal with. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/9 "2024-09-23T07:06:16Z")
If the service does not have a fleet of warplanes, does it matter what they think about it? And if it _was_ WW3 why would the military bother with Trump, secret service or no secret service? Plus, he would be grounded like everyone else, in that case. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-private-jet-have-a-military-escort/1007382/10 "2024-09-23T09:37:09Z")
Air force 1 doesn’t routinely have fighter escort, so Trump’s plane certainly isn’t going to get one. What threat does that protect against? Terrorists aren’t going to have fighter jets, there’s no realistic possibility that a hijacked plane is going to crash into them in mid-air, and presidents and former presidents aren’t going to be flying over the airspace of a hostile nation state. Any nation that could pull off some sort of long range surprise strike like China or Russia would be committing a massive act of war and that’s pretty unlikely.