Qatar’s prime minister defended gifting a luxury jet to U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the controversial offering did not amount to “bribery” and would be given “very legally.”
Trump announced this month that the Gulf nation had offered to give him a Boeing 747-8 jet, once owned by Qatar’s royal family, to be used as Air Force One, the president’s official plane. Valued at $400 million, the “palace in the sky,” as it has been called, would be one of the most expensive gifts from a foreign government to an American president in history.
“It’s a great gesture from Qatar,” Trump told reporters last week. “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”
Democrats quickly denounced the deal over ethical, security and even constitutional concerns, with some Republicans and stalwart MAGA allies, such as Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, also voicing their trepidation.
But the donation is totally above board, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani stressed Tuesday, calling it “a normal thing that happens between allies.”
“I don’t know why people consider it as bribery or Qatar trying to buy influence with this administration,” he said at the Qatar Economic Forum.
“There was a lot of controversy that’s been created out of this, what I call an exchange between two countries,” he added. “The plane story is a Ministry of Defense to Department of Defense transaction which is basically done with full transparency and very legally.”
The Trump administration has long sought to replace the aging Air Force One fleet, a pair of Boeing 747-200B aircraft, which have been in the skies since 1990.
Boeing is currently modifying two newer Boeing 747 jets to meet the requirements needed for the planes to serve as Air Force One at a cost of billions, but the project’s completion date has been pushed out to 2027, leading Trump to voice his frustration.
“We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” he complained last week.
Even if Trump accepts the Qatari jumbo jet — which he has pledged to donate to his presidential library at the end of his term — it would take years and cost hundreds of millions to modify it so that it can serve as the president’s plane.
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