Keller @ Large: Don't Change Air Force One Too Much

BOSTON (CBS) - Even if President Trump should win a second term in 2020, you probably won't see it while he's in office. But one of his legacies will be changes to the image of one of America's most iconic symbols - Air Force One.

The familiar robins-egg blue is out, Mr. Trump told CBS News in an interview, in favor of a red, white and blue makeover. It will be "incredible," he said. "It's going to be top of the line, the top in the world." Air Force One has looked the way it does now since 1962, when then-President John F. Kennedy chose the look to convey elegance and dignity. Will it still do so after the Trump makeover?

In this USA Today video, they speculate about the plane being remade to resemble a flying eagle, or with a gold theme to match the president's Trump Tower home, or as some form of patriotic display, looking somewhat like a country band's tour bus.

Whatever he has in mind, Mr. Trump certainly has the authority to do this, and the look of Air Force One isn't written in granite. Past presidents have made changes, and future ones will surely do the same.

But I would urge some discretion be applied here. The best thing about the current Air Force One color scheme is that it doesn't overwhelm. The plane is a massive and impressive sight on its own that doesn't need a garish color scheme to get noticed.

The focus should be on the very important passenger and, hopefully, the mission that brought them wherever they have landed. It's not a huge deal, but as the greatest nation on earth, we shouldn't have to dress up like a peacock to get the attention we want.

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