President Donald Trump concealed the true cost of a luxury Boeing 737 jet previously leased by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with the actual price tag coming in nearly $40 million higher than the White House claimed, according to The Daily Beast.
The Department of Homeland Security publicly stated the aircraft was purchased for $70 million. Two senior administration officials now confirm the full cost reaches $108 million, making the disclosed figure roughly 54 percent lower than the actual expenditure.
The Trump administration decided to keep the luxury plane after ousting Noem as DHS Secretary on March 5. First Lady Melania Trump will have VIP access to the aircraft, along with select Cabinet secretaries.
“Not sure who is providing that information but it is inaccurate,” one senior official told The Daily Beast’s PunchUp Substack regarding the $70 million figure.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 boasts amenities more befitting a private penthouse than a government aircraft: a queen-sized bed, showers, a kitchen, a bar, and four flat-screen televisions. Noem justified the lease as necessary for conducting “high-profile deportations” during her tenure at DHS.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement handled the purchase, but agency officials assumed the acquisition would be cancelled following Noem’s removal. Instead, the White House pressed forward and stripped DHS of control over the aircraft. The decision forces DHS to absorb the $108 million cost, even though the department no longer controls the jet.
A DHS spokesperson defended the purchase, stating the aircraft will be available to Cabinet members who need “secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility.”
Critics have blasted the expenditure as wasteful government spending that does nothing to advance immigration enforcement goals. RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement, called the purchase offensive, saying it won’t “remove a single illegal alien.”
Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, noted the administration “started with promises of cutting wasteful spending.” The luxury jet acquisition appears to contradict those pledges.
Noem earned the nickname “ICE Barbie” during her time at DHS, where she faced mounting criticism over a $220 million advertising campaign featuring her on horseback at Mount Rushmore. She also drew scrutiny for her alleged relationship with senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, who frequently traveled with her on the luxury jet.
The former South Dakota governor told senators during a congressional hearing in March that the plane would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. That hearing ultimately led to her downfall as DHS Secretary, after she claimed President Trump had approved the costly advertising campaign—a claim the White House flatly denied.
Noem’s removal came after a botched immigration operation in Minneapolis that left two American citizens dead, combined with mounting controversies over her spending habits. President Trump replaced her with Markwayne Mullin, who was confirmed by the Senate in a 54-45 vote on March 23 and sworn in the following day. Noem moved into a new role as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.
The luxury Boeing 737 represents the latest addition to the White House fleet. President Trump already has access to Air Force One, which includes a full office, bedroom, and kitchen facilities. He also expects delivery of a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet gifted to him by the Qatari royal family by summer 2026—a plane that has drawn intense criticism from Democrats and some Republicans over ethics concerns.
How the luxury aircraft will serve immigration enforcement or deportation missions remains unclear. The plane has been repurposed for general Cabinet use and travel by the First Lady’s office, stripping away its original justification entirely.
Former officials questioned whether the administration can legally purchase such an expensive aircraft without congressional approval. The White House has not explained how it plans to use the jet or why taxpayers should fund a luxury plane that bears no resemblance to standard government aircraft.
The $40 million discrepancy between the publicly stated price and the actual cost has sparked additional scrutiny of transparency in government spending. Neither the White House nor DHS has provided documentation explaining the price difference or why officials initially cited the lower figure.
ICE officials who expected the purchase to be cancelled after Noem’s departure now find themselves paying for a plane they cannot use. Top White House officials, rather than DHS administrators, now approve all travel on the aircraft.