Trump Administration Set to Accept Boeing 747 Jet Gift from Qatar

The Trump administration is preparing to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet from Qatar as a gift for use as Air Force One. This unprecedented arrangement raises legal questions about accepting such a valuable gift from a foreign government. The aircraft is set to be modified for military specifications before transferring to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation by January 2029, as replacement efforts for the current Air Force One fleet continue to face delays.

The Trump administration is reportedly set to accept a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar, a gift intended for President Donald Trump to use as the new Air Force One. This luxury aircraft, dubbed a ‘flying palace’, is said to be among the most valuable presents ever offered to the U.S. by a foreign government, with its value pegged at around $400 million without necessary military upgrades. Plans for this donation might be revealed next week during Trump’s visit to Qatar, which marks his first foreign trip of a second term.

The arrangement raises legal eyebrows regarding whether it’s permissible for the administration and the Trump library foundation to accept such a significant gift from abroad. Lawyers from the White House counsel’s office and the Justice Department purportedly determined that the Department of Defense could accept it without contravening bribery laws or the Constitution’s emoluments clause that bars government officials from accepting foreign gifts. Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington allegedly found the donation legally acceptable, provided it ends up with the presidential library before Trump’s term ends.

After an initial transfer to the U.S. Air Force, the 747 will be equipped to military standards for presidential use. Experts are now tasked with ensuring it meets necessary security requirements. The aircraft’s transfer to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation is expected by January 1, 2029, with the U.S. Air Force covering costs linked to its modification. This initiative comes in light of existing delays and complications with the replacement of the current aging Air Force One fleet.

The current Air Force One planes, which are two vintage Boeing 747-200s, have been in service since 1990 and are facing performance challenges. The contract for their replacement remains stalled, with the expected delivery of new jets possibly delayed until 2029. Trump has openly expressed dissatisfaction with these setbacks and has even enlisted Tesla’s Elon Musk to expedite the process, yielding a slightly improved timeline with a new estimate of 2027 for delivery, but Trump desires change sooner than that.

Original Source: abcnews.go.com