Why both Air Force One and Air Force Two are in Raleigh for the Biden and Harris visit
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When President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrive in North Carolina for their joint trip to the state, they will fly in on two different planes — Air Force One and Air Force Two.
Biden and Harris visit Raleigh on Tuesday to discuss their administration’s efforts to expand access to affordable health care and to contrast their agenda with that of Republicans. After the official event, Biden and Harris are expected to attend a fundraiser.
The trip marks return visits to North Carolina for both Biden and Harris this year. Biden visited Raleigh in January to talk about high-speed internet expansion. Harris visited Durham at the beginning of this month to announce new federal funding to aid women- and minority-owned businesses.
As a battleground state, North Carolina is a key target for both the Biden campaign and the Trump campaign. Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Greensboro with several top Republican elected officials days before the March 5 primary.
Why both planes?
Following long-standing practice, Biden and Harris won’t be flying together when they make their way down to North Carolina. Instead, they’ll use two different aircraft.
Under security measures used for presidential and vice presidential travel, the vice president doesn’t fly on Air Force One, according to The New York Times.
During his eight years as vice president between 2009 and 2017, Biden never flew on the Boeing VC-25 jets used by former President Barack Obama, The Times reported in 2021.
When Biden flew on Air Force One for the first time as president in February 2021, it was his first flight onboard a presidential jet in more than two decades, The Times reported.
The aircraft typically used by the vice president, a modified Boeing 757 known as Air Force Two, is a much smaller and more modest jet than the customized, military version of the Boeing 747 used by the president.
In addition to the vice president, the smaller Boeing C-32 is also used by the first lady, members of the Cabinet, and members of Congress, according to the Air Force.