Read on Twitter
OK. Some mythbusting here. This photograph is being circulated. (Thread)
Various alt-right, alt-shite, and misguided accounts purport this photo shows that Pres Biden is not traveling on Air Force 1 and/or that he has hired private security instead of the Secret Service and/or that he's hired Cubans.
At least one account is using this as "evidence" that Air Force 1 has been repainted.
HOWEVER, the photo in question is an Associated Press photo by Josh Lederman. It dates from late April 2016. You can see it here in an April 28, 2016 article in the LA Times. https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-biden-iraq-20160428-snap-story.html
It is a C-17 cargo aircraft, not one of the VIP transport aircraft that routinely get used for Air Force 1 / Air Force 2 missions. The two guys by the stairs are US Secret Service agents.
"Air Force 1" is ANY USAF aircraft used when the President has boarded it. It will have a different call sign when not used as such. Same with "Air Force 2".
In a trip to a high risk environment, such as the pictured trip to Iraq, a less highly visible and distinctive aircraft is often used for the mission to improve security.
As is long tradition, some aircraft have names. The one in the picture is "The Spirit of Strom Thurmond", named after the Senator, Governor and retired Army major general of the same name
This article talks about the renaming of the plane. Strom's legacy is a bit mixed. But there's no doubt that he was a war hero in WW2. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/140228/spirit-of-strom-thurmond-honors-senators-100-years/
