Washington, July 2 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has said his visit to North Dakota to dedicate the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library also marked the inaugural flight of a newly refurbished Air Force One aircraft, calling it "a great plane" after what he said was the first such flight in 37 years.
Addressing supporters in Medora on Wednesday (local time), Trump highlighted the aircraft before turning to a speech celebrating former President Theodore Roosevelt.
"This was an inaugural flight of a certain airplane called Air Force One, after 37 years," Trump said. "It's a great plane, and we had -- we had a lot of fun with Doug and everybody coming over, but we talked about Theodore Roosevelt a lot, because he was something that was really very special."
The President said the trip carried added significance because it honoured one of the American leaders he most admired.
"I'm honouring Theodore Roosevelt, and that's the man who I have long admired. He's one of the few -- I don't admire too many people, I have to tell you," Trump said.
Trump travelled to Medora to help dedicate the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, becoming the first sitting US President to participate in the opening of the institution. During the visit, he presented Theodore Roosevelt's Congressional 'Medal of Honor' to the library after removing it from the Roosevelt Room at the White House.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who hosted the event, described Trump's attendance as "a historic moment" and said visitors would also hear the President's recorded reading of Theodore Roosevelt's famous "Man in the Arena" passage when the library officially opens.
The recording featured Roosevelt's words: "It is not the critic who counts... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena." After the recording, Burgum said, "President Trump is the man in the arena, and it's a thrill to have him here to help dedicate this presidential library today."
Trump praised the new library as "a great museum, great library, great centre" and predicted it would become "a very special place."
"I think it's going to do very well. It's a part of the country that I love," he said.
The President also announced a federal grant of $750,000 through the National Endowment for the Humanities to support the library's opening exhibits during its first year.
The White House has not released additional technical details about the aircraft Trump referred to during his remarks. The President's comments nevertheless made the flight itself part of the day's significance, alongside the dedication ceremony and his address marking the approach of the United States' 250th anniversary.
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign used for any US Air Force aircraft carrying the American President.
The current presidential fleet has been in service for more than three decades. Plans to replace or modernise the aircraft have spanned multiple administrations, reflecting the complexity of converting long-range commercial aircraft into highly specialised platforms capable of meeting the operational and security requirements of the US presidency.
--IANS
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