When US presidents aren't flying on Air Force One or taking helicopter trips in Marine One, they're driven around in a presidential limousine nicknamed "The Beast."
Weighing 20,000 pounds and outfitted with advanced security and communications systems, the newest model of "The Beast" debuted during the first Trump administration in 2018. The custom Cadillac reportedly cost around $1.5 million to build.
The vehicle made headlines in August 2025, when Russian President Vladimir Putin rode in the limousine alongside President Donald Trump as the two met in Alaska to discuss the war in Ukraine.
The president and first lady also rode in it through Washington, DC, on Sunday as part of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix.
Take a look inside the famous vehicle.
US presidents travel in a secure limousine nicknamed "The Beast."
US presidents rode Lincoln limousines for most of the 20th century until the 1980s, when the Reagan administration switched to General Motors Cadillacs.
The latest model of the presidential limousine was commissioned by the US Secret Service in 2014 and used for the first time in 2018 by President Donald Trump.
Designed to look like a longer version of the Cadillac CT6, the car's chassis is actually that of a General Motors heavy-duty Chevrolet Kodiak truck, NBC News reported.
The heavily armored vehicle is bulletproof, blast-resistant, and sealed to withstand biochemical attacks.
While details about the limousine's security measures remain classified, NBC News reported that the vehicle features a night-vision system, tear-gas firing capabilities, and door handles that can be electrified to deter intruders.
The windows are believed to be 3 inches thick, and the vehicle's armor is around 8 inches thick.
"The Beast" is also equipped with medical supplies, including a refrigerator stocked with the president's blood type.
NBC News also reported that the limousine's secure communications system can dispatch the launch codes for nuclear weapons.
The presidential seal appears throughout the car's design.
The seal, featuring an eagle holding an olive branch and 13 arrows in its talons below a banner reading "E Pluribus Unum" ("Out of many, one"), appears on both the interior and exterior of the passenger door.
The limousine can seat up to seven people.
The interior features water bottle holders and plush leather seats. Previous presidential limousines have also included a fold-out desk, according to the US Secret Service.
"The Beast" travels with the president.
Presidential limousines are transported by military cargo aircraft, such as US Air Force C-17s, for use during the president's travels, according to the US Secret Service.
When abroad, the presidential limousine flies the American flag and the flag of the host country.
When Biden visited the UK in June 2021, the presidential limousine flew both the American flag and the Union flag.
On Inauguration Day, Secret Service agents change the car's license plates as a new president takes power.
Some presidents have used the Washington, DC, "End Taxation Without Representation" license plates, while others have removed the slogan.
On President Donald Trump's second Inauguration Day, Secret Service agents gave "The Beast" a good shine.
Biden and Trump rode to the 2025 inauguration ceremony together in the presidential limousine. Jill Biden and Melania Trump followed in a separate car.
In her White House memoir, "View from the East Wing," Jill Biden described their shared ride as "frosty" and said that Melania Trump "kept trying to switch the topic to the weather."
Russian President Vladimir Putin rode in "The Beast" with Trump in August 2025.
Ahead of a meeting on August 15, 2025, to discuss the war in Ukraine, Trump and Putin unexpectedly rode in the car together. The ride lasted fewer than 10 minutes and offered the leaders the opportunity to talk privately. Putin was seen smiling from within the vehicle.
On Sunday, the president and first lady rode in "The Beast" during a Freedom 250 Grand Prix event in Washington, DC.
One of many events held in honor of America's 250th anniversary, the Freedom 250 Grand Prix transformed downtown Washington, DC, into a 1.7-mile racecar track.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump took a ceremonial lap in "The Beast," accompanied by the presidential motorcade, before the race began.
Trump told Fox Sports that IndyCar owner Roger Penske had been trying to host a race in DC for 20 years, and that the event "turned out to be much bigger than we ever even thought possible."
Accompanied by the presidential motorcade, "The Beast" remains an instantly recognizable symbol of the power of the presidency.
The latest presidential limousine succeeded a custom DTS Cadillac that was unveiled at former President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.
"It is safe to say that this car's security and coded communications systems make it the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world," the assistant director for the US Secret Service's Office of Protective Operations said in a 2009 statement on the organization's official website.
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Alice Tecotzky is a reporter on the Finance desk, based in New York City. She writes about JPMorgan and what it's like to work on Wall Street. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected], reach her on Signal at alicetecotzky.05, or follow her on X @atecotzky.Alice graduated from Columbia University in May 2024 with a degree in English. Before she joined Business Insider, she covered breaking news at the Daily Beast and education at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
