Washington — The Qatari royal family is donating a jumbo jet for President Trump’s exclusive use as a presidential plane, according to CBS News.
ABC News first reported on the gift, which comes as Mr. Trump prepares to travel to Qatar for his first international trip of his second term.
However, the plane, a 747-8, will not be ready to serve as Air Force One for some time, and President Trump will not use it to return from the Middle East. One of the sources told CBS News that the plane must be checked for security and spying devices before it can be accepted.
The plane will be donated to the future Trump presidential library shortly before Trump leaves office.
Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s Media Attaché to the United States, confirmed to CBS News that the possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is being considered by Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter is still being reviewed by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.
However, Al-Ansar stated that reports of the plane being gifted during this trip are “inaccurate.”
On Sunday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that “any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws.” President Trump’s administration is committed to complete transparency.”
Qatar has also offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense, but the gift will not be given or accepted during this trip to Qatar, according to a US official.
Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York confirmed to CBS News that he sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting an investigation into the Trump administration’s acceptance of a plane as a gift.
“With an estimated value of $400 million, the aerial palace would constitute the most valuable gift ever conferred on a President by a foreign government,” the writer stated.
Torres asked for both a “immediate ethics review of the Qatari gift” or “a formal advisory opinion on whether the gift violates federal ethics regulations and the Emoluments Clause.”
Mr. Trump defended the idea of receiving the luxurious jet in a post on his Truth Social platform, lambasting those who criticized what he called a “free of charge gift” to “replace a 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily.” He described it as a “very public and transparent transaction.”
“So bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” his letter read. “Anyone can do it!” “The Democrats are World Class Losers!!! MAGA.”
The Air Force One was already scheduled to be replaced, with delivery initially set for 2024. However, the completion date for the modified Boeing 747 has been pushed back to 2027 for the first plane and 2028 — Mr. Trump’s final year in office — for the second.
The president will depart on Monday for his first major foreign trip of his second term, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates over the course of four days.
Leavitt said Friday that the trip will focus on “strengthening ties between our nations,” referring to Mr. Trump’s first trip to the Middle East in 2017, when he “introduced his bold peace-through-strength foreign policy strategy.”
“Now, eight years later, President Trump will return to re-emphasize his continued vision for a proud, prosperous and successful Middle East, where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in cooperative relationships, and where extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges,” according to Leavitt.
Qatar’s Media Attaché to the United States, Ali Al-Ansari, denied reports, saying in a statement that 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 U.S. Department of Defense,” while noting that “the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.”