How the President's Beast is transported by air, as it's confirmed Air Force One doesn't carry it
- The US President’s official vehicle is called The Beast
- It’s a bulletproof Cadillac that’s basically a tank
- There’s a reason it can’t travel on Air Force One
Published on May 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on May 23, 2025 at 9:07 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
When he’s not on Air Force One, the US President always travels aboard The Beast, a bulletproof Cadillac no one knows much about for security reasons.
However, we do know at least two crucial things about it.
We know how the Secret Service transports it.
And that’s because we also know Air Force One doesn’t carry it.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
The Beast, sometimes known as First Car or Cadillac One, is a bulletproof Cadillac used by the Secret Service to chauffeur the US President everywhere.
A while back, Jay Leno had the chance to talk to two US Secret Service agents about the car, and while there’s a lot they couldn’t say about it, they still revealed some juicy details.
The first thing that some people might find interesting is that no one in the US government actually calls it The Beast.
That’s probably just a fan-coined nickname that stuck because the vehicle is simply known internally as a ‘parade limousine’.
The agents also revealed there are always at least two identical cars in the motorcade, and every car is always destroyed after being decommissioned, usually after eight years of service.
Last but definitely not least in terms of importance, they confirmed that the car does not travel on Air Force One along with the US President.
Air Force One is a flying fortress, but it’s only designed to transport the US President, his family, and staff, alongside his security detail.
In other words, it’s designed to transport people, not vehicles.
The US Secret Service agent who spoke to Leno confirmed that they use C-17 and C-5 military aircraft to carry The Beast, along with all the other vehicles.
Both the Boeing C-17 Globemaster and the Lockheed C-5 are absolutely massive, and can easily accommodate several vehicles.
Interestingly, the Secret Service agent still said they always have ‘multiple C-17s and C5s’ everywhere they go.
The fact that he said ‘multiple’ – not ‘a few’ or ‘a couple’ – it’s further proof these guys aren’t messing around.
