'Very rare': Hegseth landing at LAX in Trump's 'Doomsday plane' sets off firestorm online

An aircraft specifically designed to survive a nuclear disaster and carry President Donald Trump was seen landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Thursday night — and reports indicate Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and MAGA influencer Laura Loomer were apparently on it.

The Boeing E-4 Advanced Airborne Command Post "Doomsday plane" dubbed "Nightwatch" landed just before 7 p.m. Pacific time and set off a firestorm online as people questioned what it was doing there, TMZ reported.

Video reshared by Hegseth showed him participating in a drill Friday morning at UCLA, running on a track with the school's ROTC group. Loomer, who was recently added to the Defense Department press corps, wrote on X Thursday that she was also joining the flight to California in a video in front of the aircraft.

"Secretary of War @PeteHegseth will be arriving at Joint Base Andrews soon, and then it’s wheels up to California for my first trip with the @DeptofWar as a new member of the Pentagon Press Corps! The Secretary of War will be meeting with Defense Industry leaders. Follow me for exclusive updates!" Loomer wrote.

The landing happened while Santa Ana wind gusts slammed the South California region and was captured by Airline Videos Live on X, which shared the following:

"What’s believed to be the first appearance in its 51-year flying history, the Boeing 747 E-4B Nightwatch, also known as the 'Doomsday Plane,' showed up at LAX during Thursday’s Airline Videos Live broadcast and will most likely be the highlight of 2026!"

The unusual landing sent shockwaves online.

"The presidential 'Doomsday Plane' was spotted taxiing and departing LAX. This aircraft is basically a flying command center built to keep the U.S. government running during a worst-case crisis, even if ground systems are hit. No official reason has been given for the flight, but sightings like this are very rare and always set off the rumor mill fast," investor Mario Nawfal wrote on X.

"Pete Hegseth was on the plane. It’s a 'show of force' from an administration with no substance or legal justification for their actions," podcast host and veteran Ryan Shead wrote on X.

"That plane’s job is to survive the unsurvivable. Wild it’s just… here," Doran Mauldin, community director of crypto group Defi App, wrote on X.

"Wait isn’t this like a war plane ? A flying pentagon ?" User Bella Verita, who self-describes as a flight attendant, wrote on X.