President Trump, who is on board the Air Force here on March 21, is said to have been boarded at Andrews’ joint base and was offered a new plane from Qatar.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Hide captions
Toggle caption
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration is in discussions with Qatar’s government about accepting luxury Boeing 747 planes, a senior White House official said it could serve as the air force temporarily.
The offer, first reported by ABC News, comes on the eve of Trump’s visit to the Middle East. The president is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
A senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity said he spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak publicly and confirmed that Qatar had offered to donate the plane to the Pentagon, but said that while in Qatar the gift would not be presented or accepted this week.
ABC and The New York Times reported that the plane would be donated to Trump’s Presidential Library when it took office. This offer is one of the biggest foreign gifts the US government has ever received and raises legal and ethical issues.
Trump opposed those concerns in his post His Truth Social Sunday Night.
He writes: “The fact that the Pentagon is receiving free gifts from 747 aircraft to temporarily replace the 40-year-old Air Force with a very public and transparent deal, thus plaguing the planes that we insist on paying.
“Gifts given by foreign governments are always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws,” said Caroline Leavitt, a White House spokesperson.
“President Trump’s administration is committed to full transparency,” she said.
Democrats questioned whether the deal was even legal.
“Even if the plane was donated to the US government, this is not a good idea,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy. I said in x. “But can Trump maintain his plane? It’s just a cash payment to Trump in exchange for benefits. It’s just illegal.”
In his first semester, Trump signed a deal with Boeing To supply the next generation of air forces. Under the terms of that deal, Trump agreed to pay $3.9 billion for two customized 747s. However, the president has expressed his dissatisfaction with the time it takes for annoyed aircraft manufacturers to deliver the aircraft.
