Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.Trapped in the Imperial Presidency
Even a man who would not be king has to travel like one
A First Family leads the sort of life that no multimillionaire could afford and no monarch can surpass. Who but an American President has a personal fleet of plush turbojet helicopters at his disposal and available on a few minutes' notice? Where reigns the king or dictator with a pool of jet aircraft of various sizes and speeds to accommodate his official needs or personal whims?
—The Flying White House, by J.F. terHorst and Colonel Ralph Albertazzie, 1979
Indeed, the imperial splendor of presidential travel sometimes stuns even Presidents—including Ronald Reagan....
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