President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to confirm reports that his administration will accept a Boeing 747-8 luxury plane from the royal family in Qatar to be used as Air Force One and dismissed concerns about one of the largest foreign gifts ever given to the U.S. government saying it would be a “public and transparent transaction.”
Key Facts
- The Qatari royal family’s gift is expected to be formally announced next week as Trump visits Qatar during the first foreign trip of his second term, according to ABC News—which first reported the gift early Sunday.
- In a post on his Truth Social platform the president appeared to confirm the reports, saying the Defense Department was getting the aircraft as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE,” to replace the 40-year-old jet which currently serves as Air Force One, “temporarily.”
- The president said his administration would accept the gift “in a very public and transparent transaction.”
- Trump’s post then attacked Democrats criticism of the move claiming they were bothered and insisting that “we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane…Anybody can do that!”
- Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that the legal details were still being worked on and added “of course any donation to this government is done in full compliance with the law and we commit ourselves to the utmost transparency, and we will continue to do that.”
What Do We Know About Qatar’s Plan To Gift The Plane?
A Qatari official told CNN the plane is being gifted specifically from the Qatari Ministry of Defense to the Pentagon, which will modify the plane to be up to Air Force One’s safety standards. Once the plane is donated to Trump’s presidential library just before the end of his term, he will be able to use it as a private citizen, multiple outlets reported, which could raise questions about the legality of the gift.
Is It Legal For Trump To Accept The Plane From Qatar?
A foreign emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution states “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” But anonymous sources told ABC News that Trump’s administration had already determined it is legal for the Defense Department to accept the plane and later give it to Trump’s library. ABC News also reported Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a legal memo last week to the White House counsel office saying it would be “legally permissible” for Qatar to condition the donation with the fact that it must be donated to Trump’s library before his term is up.
What Kind Of Plane Is Air Force One Now?
Air Force One can technically be any Air Force aircraft carrying the president, but it’s mainly associated with two planes that are part of the president’s air travel fleet, and both are “specially configured Boeing 747-200B’s,” according to the Air Force and Boeing. Beyond differing from Boeing’s standard 747 in terms of plane capacity, the Air Force One planes have different “electronic and communications equipment,” a self-contained baggage loader, air-stairs and it can refuel in-flight. It has a stateroom and office for the president, and a conference/dining room, along with separate accommodations for guests, staff and media.
When Could Trump Use The New Plane?
It’s not clear, because the plane would have to be retrofitted to meet the Air Force One standards for security. An unnamed Defense Department official told The New York Times on Sunday it would take a while to secure a contract to make the upgrades, and then actually modify the plane, saying: “We’re talking years, not months.”
Big Number
$400 million. That’s about how much a Boeing 747-8 plane costs, according to multiple outlets, including Business Insider, which reported it was the largest private jet in 2020.
