Karim JAAFAR / AFP
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the US Air Force to begin plans to convert a $400 million Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet gifted to President Donald Trump by the Qatari royal family.
The plane is set to be used as part of Air Force One, but the development comes amid mounting concerns over the cost and ethical implications of accepting such a large gift from a foreign country.
“The Secretary of Defense has directed the Air Force to basically start planning to modify the aircraft,” newly appointed Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told a Senate Armed Services committee hearing on Tuesday, per Defense One.
But Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Ilinois flagged the potential cost of converting the jet during the hearing, saying it could cost up to $1 billion to ensure it was capable of operating as part of the Air Force One fleet.
“Far from saving money, this unconstitutional action will not only cost our nation its dignity, but it will force taxpayers to waste over a billion dollars to overhaul this particular aircraft, when we currently have not one, but two, fully operational and fully capable Air Force One aircraft,” Duckworth said.
Duckworth also expressed concerns that corners could be cut to get the plane into service before Trump’s second term comes to an end.
Earlier this month, Trump announced that Qatar had gifted him the jet to serve as Air Force One. It is the most expensive gift to a US president in history.
“It’s a great gesture from Qatar,” Trump told reporters. “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.'”
However, accepting the gift has prompted a bipartisan backlash, with Democrats and some Republicans saying it violates long-standing rules about presidents accepting expensive gifts from foreign leaders.
In a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rebutted suggestions the plane was a gift to Trump, saying it had been donated to the US Air Force by the Qatari royal family and was being “retrofitted to the highest standards” to serve as an Air Force One plane.
She did not give details on how long the process would take.
Experts told NBC News last week that converting the plane to serve as Air Force One would involve installing multiple top-secret systems at an estimated cost of around $1 billion.
There are two planes operating as part of the Air Force One fleet, with Trump scrapping a contract for a new plane in his first term, before renegotiating it.
Boeing is currently contracted to convert two 747 jets to serve as part of the fleet, but the project has encountered delays, and the first plane isn’t expected to be ready until 2027.
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