President Trump angrily brushed off ethical concerns about accepting a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar to be used as a new Air Force One, saying only someone “stupid” would turn down such an offer.
Mr. Trump said that the gift from Qatar will be to the U.S. Department of Defense — and not him personally — and he said he would not use it after he left office. The plane is to be decommissioned from military use and then turned over to his eventual presidential library, Mr. Trump said.
“I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much,” Mr. Trump said. “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But it was — I thought it was a great gesture.”
Qatari officials say the plan for Mr. Trump to accept the plane for use while he is in office is not finalized. Some senior U.S. officials, however, have said that the White House counsel and the attorney general, Pam Bondi, have already signed off. Ms Bondi has previously worked as a lobbyist, with Qatar as one of her clients.
In 2017, Mr. Trump called Qatar a sponsor of terrorism and voiced support for a Saudi-led regional economic and diplomatic blockade of the nation, an important military outpost for the United States in the Middle East. That blockade ended just as Mr. Trump left office in January 2021.
On Monday, Mr. Trump grew angry at the questions of an ethical quagmire, including whether Qatar expected anything in exchange for the donation of the jetliner, which he said would be to the Defense Department and not to him personally. Democrats and government watchdogs have suggested the donation would violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution prohibiting gifts from foreign governments to public office holders, and create an incentive structure for Mr. Trump regarding Qatar. As it is, Mr. Trump’s private company has several projects in the region, including a planned golf course in Qatar.
“You should be embarrassed asking that question,” Mr. Trump told an ABC News reporter who pressed him on the issue. “They’re giving us a free jet. I could say, ‘No, no, no, don’t give us. I want to pay you a billion or $400 million, or whatever it is.’ Or I could say, ‘Thank you very much.’”
He then invoked a golf analogy involving the golfing great Sam Snead about accepting a free putt during a round, suggesting that following rules when one doesn’t have to is foolish.
“Remember that Sam said, ‘When they give you a putt, you pick it up and you walk to the next hole, and you say, Thank you very much,’” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly complained of delays and cost overruns in a contract with Boeing for two new presidential jets, and he did so again on Monday.
He also said the United States gives “free things” as well. He added: “I think it was a gesture because of the fact that we help” to protect Qatar and some of its neighbors in the Middle East.
“If it wasn’t for us,” Mr. Trump said, “they probably wouldn’t exist right now.”
Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent for The Times, reporting on President Trump.
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