Trump poised to accept jet gift from Qatar as new Air Force One

President Trump said he will accept a luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar that will be retrofitted to replace Air Force One during his second term, despite ethical concerns raised by Democrats and some supporters.

“So the fact that the Defense 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. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!! MAGA,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social late Sunday.

On Monday, Mr. Trump said Qatar offered the plane “as a contribution to  our Defense Department” and called it “a great gesture.” 

“I could be a stupid person and say ’oh, no we don’t want a free plane,’” Mr. Trump said. “It helps us out because again we have 40-year aircraft. The money we spend to keep those planes tippy-top is astronomical. You wouldn’t even believe it.”

The deal comes just before Mr. Trump embarks on his first major foreign trip, which includes a stop in Doha, Qatar.

The plan is for the plane, a Boeing 747-8 jet, to serve as Air Force One during Mr. Trump’s second term before being donated to his presidential library after he leaves office, ensuring he can continue using it, according to multiple media reports. However, Mr. Trump told reporters on Monday that he would not use it after he leaves office, but it would instead remain at his presidential library. 

Democrats and others say the lavish gift raises ethical questions. A Boeing 747-8 cost about $400 million in 2019, according to the most recently available data from Boeing. 

Rep. Ritchie Torres, New York Democrat, sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office on Sunday, noting that the plane would be the single most expensive gift after he leaves office. He described the deal as a “flying grift,’ arguing it violates the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which ‘explicitly prohibits any person holding office from accepting ‘any present, Emolument, Office or Title, of any kind whatsoever, from any King, Prince or foreign state.”

Conservative activist and Trump supporter Laura Loomer also said the plane raises serious concerns.

“We cannot accept a $400 million ’gift’ from jihadists in suits,” she wrote on X. “The Qataris fund the same Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah who have murdered US service members. The same proxies that have worked with the cartels to get jihadists across our border.”

“This is really going to be such a stain on the [administration] if true. And I say that as someone who would take a bullet for Trump. This is so disappointing.”

Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché to the United States, said no decision has been made about gifting Mr. Trump a new plane.

“The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments and no decision has been made,” he said in a statement. 

Mr. Trump struck a deal during his first term to modernize two Boeing 747s to be used as the new Air Force One aircraft. But the contract has gone more than $2 billion over budget and is plagued by repeated delays. The plans may not be completed until at least 2027.

Mr. Trump on Monday expressed frustration over the Boeing delays and said he was looking into alternatives. He described the delays as “a mess.” 

 Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said earlier this year that the company was working with the Trump administration to get the planes completed sooner.