After more than 60 years, the robin’s egg blue paint scheme that defined the US presidential aircraft fleet is being replaced by a new paint job favored by the current occupant of the White House.
A US Air Force C-32, the Boeing 757-based aircraft commonly used as Air Force Two when the vice president is aboard, has appeared in a new dark navy, red and gold paint scheme ordered by President Donald Trump, marking the first visible sign that the executive airlift fleet’s long-anticipated redesign is underway.
Photos circulating on X show the jet in the updated livery, replacing the light blue and white color scheme that dates back to the Kennedy administration. The aircraft, spotted taking off from Majors Airport (GVT) in Greenville, Texas, appears freshly painted and consistent with reporting earlier this week that the Air Force has begun transitioning the VIP fleet to Trump’s preferred palette.
The C-32 fleet supports high-priority missions for senior government officials, including the vice president, first lady, and cabinet members. While repainting alone does not alter capability, the visual shift carries symbolic weight. The light blue design introduced in the early 1960s became closely associated with the presidency and American executive travel.
CBS News reported that the new paint requirement applies not only to the C-32 aircraft but also to the broader executive fleet, including the VC-25 aircraft that serve as Air Force One and the Boeing 747-8 jets currently undergoing conversion to become the next generation of presidential aircraft.
The repainting effort is reportedly taking place as aircraft cycle through scheduled maintenance and upgrades rather than through a fleetwide grounding. That approach suggests a phased rollout rather than a hard deadline, though the appearance of a completed C-32 indicates the program is moving from planning to execution.
It remains unclear how many aircraft have completed repainting or when the entire executive fleet will reflect the new scheme. The Air Force maintains a small but varied VIP fleet that includes C-32s, VC-25s, and other transport aircraft configured for senior leadership travel.
The updated livery mirrors a design President Trump previewed during his first term for the VC-25B replacement aircraft, a proposal later set aside under the Biden administration.
For aviation watchers, the repaint may be cosmetic, but for the Air Force it represents a visible shift in branding across some of its most recognizable aircraft. As additional jets cycle through maintenance, more aircraft in the executive fleet are likely to emerge in the new scheme in the months ahead.
Whether the transition accelerates ahead of major national events in 2026, including the US 250th anniversary on July 4, remains to be seen. For now, the first repainted C-32 offers the clearest sign yet that the executive fleet’s makeover has begun.
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