Journalists on board the Air Force One presidential airliner keep nabbing its many branded knickknacks. Now, the White House is trying to stop it.
Following a multiday trip with the press on board, members of the Air Force took inventory of the plane and found several items missing, Politico reported. After alerting the White House Travel Office about the missing pieces, Kelly O'Donnell, the White House Correspondents' Association president and an NBC reporter, reportedly sent a curt email to her colleagues telling them to knock it off.
Air Force One — technically the air-traffic-control call sign for any plane carrying the president — has contained many a tchotchke emblazoned with the presidential seal and call sign, such as napkins, matchbooks, playing cards, boxes of M&Ms, and Hershey's Kisses.
Though some of these, such as snacks and napkins, of course, are meant to be nabbed and used, that hasn't reportedly stopped journalists from taking items meant to be permanent, including pillowcases, glasses, and gold-rimmed dinnerware.
Amenities on Air Force One generally aren't free for most of its guests: White House staffers pay for every meal — and sometimes, even snacks — they eat on the plane, Politico previously reported.
The White House gift store sells plenty of Air Force One-branded items — mugs, golf balls, jackets, and more — but goods taken from the plane consistently appear on non-government shops online, such as eBay and presidential-collectibles sites.
