President Donald Trump‘s administration was first to reach out to Qatar about acquiring a $400-million Boeing 747 for Air Force One, according to a report from CNN.
The report, which cites four individuals familiar with the matter, adds context to the administration’s repeated assertions that the jet was simply a “gift” from the Gulf state.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House and the State Department via email for comment. The Pentagon referred Newsweek to the White House.
Why It Matters
The administration’s decision to accept the plane has been met with legal and ethical scrutiny from lawmakers of both parties as well as longtime supporters of the president. Critics have suggested that the donation could be an attempt by Qatar to curry favor with the administration and Trump himself, as well as a violation of constitutional provisions barring public officials from using their office for private gain or soliciting gifts from foreign nations.
Trump and his cabinet have defended the donation as a permissible transfer between the Qatari Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, and said that the jet will be handed over to the Trump Library Foundation at the end of his term.
What To Know
Trump toured the Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 in February, which the White House said was to “check out the new hardware,” and to highlight Boeing’s “failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised.”
According to CNN, a precursor to this visit came after Trump took office in January and the administration’s frustrations with Boeing prompted the Air Force to search for replacements in the interim. Simultaneously, the president tasked U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff with searching for a suitable jet. Witkoff, an official with long-standing business ties to the Qatari government, reportedly played a key role in initiating the talks between Doha and Washington.
The New York Times similarly reported, based on interviews with several people involved, that the White House had been searching for a jet able to be adapted for the presidential fleet, and that Witkoff had reached out to Qataris to explore the possibility of acquiring the plane.
President Trump has described the transfer of the jet from the Qatari royal family as a “contribution to our Defense Department,” insisting that Qatar will receive nothing in return and that the donation was a “gift” was for “a job well done.”
“I thought it was a great gesture,” Trump said earlier this month. “And I think it was a gesture because of the fact that we have helped [Qatar] and continue to. We will—we will continue to. All of those countries—Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and others—we keep them safe.”
The president added that he was “very disappointed” with Boeing for failing to deliver on its original, $3.9 billion contract to replace the aging VC-25A fleet with two customized 747-8s. When the contract was signed during Trump’s term officials expected the jets to be “mission-ready” by 2024.
This timeline was pushed back several times, however, as Boeing admitted struggling to deliver the “very complex airplanes.” Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Boeing had notified federal officials that the two planes would not be ready for service until 2035, citing people familiar with the discussion.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social: “The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during a Monday press conference said: “Let’s be very clear, the government of Qatar—the Qatari [royal] family—has offered to donate this plane to the United States Air Force, where that donation will be accepted according to all legal and ethical obligations.”
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff defended Trump accepting the plane on ABC, saying: “It’s a perfectly legal transaction; it’s been vetted by White House counsel, by the Justice Department, there are outside law firms involved. So, it’s a perfectly legal, government-to-government, department of defense-to-department of defense transaction that happens in the normal course, and has been happening in the normal course throughout our existence. Governments exchange services—in this case the president has done … an incredible array of wonderful deals and created all kinds of opportunities for this country, for our economy, for the growth of our economy, and everything is always with the mind of doing something good for the American public, for the American taxpayer. This is another example—they decided to donate something because of all the wonderful things we’ve done for them in the past.”
Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro said on a recent podcast: “Taking stacks of goodies from people who support Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera all the rest—that’s not America First. Please define America First in a way that says you should take stacks of cash from the Qatari royals.”
Minority Leader of the House Hakeem Jeffries described the donation as “an unconstitutional gift” during a press conference last week.
“Donald Trump is publicly defending accepting a $400 million flying palace from a close ally of Iran and Hamas. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up,” he added.
What Happens Next?
A definitive timeline for the transfer remains unclear, as well as whether the jet can be sufficiently retrofitted for the presidential fleet within Trump’s second term. In addition, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday said he would be introducing a bill aimed at prohibiting the Pentagon from “using funds to procure or modify foreign aircraft for presidential flights,” possibly adding further complication to the administration’s efforts to secure the Qatari jet.
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