The Trump administration plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar. President Trump plans to use it as the new Air Force One for presidential travel until Trump leaves office, according to ABC News. Trump called it a “ very nice gesture”.
Sources familiar with the arrangement confirmed that ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation once the president ends his second term.
Democrats criticized the Trump administration about their plans to accept the plane, saying that a gift of this magnitude needs approval from congress.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee posted this on his X/twitter account, “Trump must seek Congress’ consent to take this $300 million gift from Qatar. The Constitution is perfectly clear: no present “of any kind whatever” from a foreign state without Congressional permission. A gift you use for four years and then deposit in your library is still a gift (and a grift).”
ABC News reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi and David Warrington, Trump’s top White House lawyer concluded it is “legally permissible” if the Qatari government gifts it to the Defense Department and is later transferred over to the Trump’s presidential Library Foundation.
Rep. Ritchie Torres, called for an investigation into the administration’s plans to accept the plane. Stating the plane as “ the most valuable gift ever conferred on a President by a foreign government.”
Torres wrote a letter to the head of the Government Accountability Office saying, “ Rather than enforcing ethics, the Attorney General has affixed the Department of Justice’s seal of approval to a transaction that flagrantly violates both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause”.
The current Air Force One fleet includes two Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets that have been used since 1990. The Air Force contract with Boeing to replace the aircrafts has been beset with delays and cost overruns.
President Trump has expressed frustration with the Boeing delays saying the current plane is 40 years old. Boeing’s most recent estimated delivery date for a new plane is 2027, but Trump has made it clear he will accept Qatar’s kind gesture.
