 "US President Donald Trump. AFP")
US President Donald Trump’s administration plans to accept a Boeing 747-8 aircraft as a gift from the Qatari royal family, which would be used as Air Force One, Reuters reported citing sources.
The luxury plane, worth $400 million, would later be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office completing his second term.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social late on Sunday, Trump appeared to confirm the proposal.
“So the fact that the Defence Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” he said.
Democrats and good governance advocates said it was unethical and likely unconstitutional for Qatar to make such a gift.
“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X. “It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump’s administration is committed to full transparency.”
A Qatari spokesperson, Ali Al-Ansari, told The New York Times that the possible transfer of the aircraft was still under consideration and “no decision has been made,” the newspaper reported.
Impact Shorts
View AllABC News was the first to report the planned gift on Sunday.
Trump has expressed frustration at delays in delivering two new 747-8 aircraft to serve as updated Air Force One planes. During his first term, Trump reached a deal with Boeing for delivery in 2024. However, a US Air Force official told Congress last week that Boeing had proposed finishing the planes by 2027.
Trump toured the Qatari-owned 747-8 in February when it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago resort. At the time, the White House said the president did so to gain a better understanding of how the updated Air Force One planes would be configured.