Just before 3 am local time in the Middle East this morning, President Donald Trump sent out via Truth Social a new statement addressing his acceptance of a private plane as a gift from the Qatari royal family.
“Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” Trump wrote. “This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a FOOL would not accept this gift…”
“Only a FOOL” indeed.
Here’s a quick visualization of what that Trump message does to the story of Qatar’s planned gift of a $400 million “palace in the sky” 747 for the president’s use:
Trump seems unaware—or simply doesn’t care—that by continuing to talk about the plane, he ensures that the story will live for at least another day. The plane will reportedly transfer ownership to Trump’s presidential library when his term is out—meaning that he will effectively have it at his disposal. Trump has said he will never use the plane after he leaves office. Uh huh. (Not for nothing: He also re-posted a supporter comparing the plane gift to the Statue of Liberty, which was given to the U.S. by France. Yes, it’s exactly like that. Nailed it.)
If anything, the story is picking up steam or, ahem, elevation, as more Trump allies come out against the idea. Here’s the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post writing in an op-ed: “Sorry, this ‘gift’ is far from free; Qatar will surely expect something in return… The optics are beyond awful, especially as Congress mulls hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts.”
And Politico reports that grumbling among Republican Senators is in full force. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that there are “lots of issues associated with that offer which I think need to be further talked about.” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told CNBC that “the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems. So we’ll see how this issue plays out.”
We’ll see how it plays out!
It’s important to remember that we are through the looking glass here. No past president would have even considered accepting such a lavish, er, gift from a Gulf State—much less go through with it and defend that decision as being smart.
Still, Trump tends not to back down when he feels the “elites” want him to. Witness Pete Hegseth still in charge of the Department of Defense. And he clearly really wants that plane.
The post Opinion: Why Trump Can’t Land His $400 Million Plane Story appeared first on The Daily Beast.
