Trump subpoenas New York Times journalists over Air Force One report

Federal agents delivered subpoenas to some New York Times reporters at their homes after the newspaper’s reporting on security concerns surrounding Donald Trump’s new Air Force One, escalating a clash over a Qatar-gifted Boeing 747 into a test of press freedom.

The subpoenas were issued Friday, July 10, 2026, and the Times said they were intended to force several of its journalists to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday, July 15. The paper said the appearance of federal law enforcement agents at reporters’ doors was a “brazen act,” and its lawyer, David McCraw, said the move should “shock the conscience” of Americans who believe in the Constitution and press freedom.

The dispute centers on a plane that has quickly become one of the most closely watched symbols of Trump’s second-term travel. The Boeing 747, gifted by Qatar, entered service last week and made Trump’s first official trip on July 1. He flew it again on July 7 to a NATO summit in Turkey, then returned on July 8 aboard an older Air Force One after the Secret Service reportedly advised against using the newer jet for that departure.

That routing shift sharpened scrutiny of the aircraft’s security setup. Reports said the United States spent about $400 million retrofitting the jet, yet images showed it lacked some missile-detection and countermeasure systems found on older presidential planes. The Times’ reporting focused on those alleged gaps and on concerns that the Secret Service had urged the change in aircraft. Trump denied the security claims at the time.

There was no immediate response from the White House or the U.S. Department of Justice. The case now sits at the intersection of national security, presidential travel and the legal boundaries around journalism, with the question of whether the jet may eventually go to a Trump presidential library adding another layer to the controversy.