The White House is in discussions with the royal family of Qatar to possibly receive a luxury jumbo jet, intended for use as an Air Force One presidential plane.
In a statement, Qatar denied that the plane would be a gift, but said the transfer of an aircraft for “temporary use” was under discussion between the two countries.
According to CBS News, the BBC’s news partner in America, the plane would be donated to Trump’s presidential library at the end of his term.
The news comes as Trump is set to visit Qatar this week as part of the first major foreign trip of his second term. Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s Media Attaché to the US, said negotiations were ongoing between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense.
“The matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.”
Sources told CBS News that the plane will not be ready for use right away as it will need to retrofitted and cleared by security officials.
The potential value of the plane and its handling is sure to raise legal and ethical questions among critics.
On Sunday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency”.
Defending the negotiations with Qatar, Trump referred to the plane as a gift and said it was offered for his use at no cost in a post to his Truth Social website on Sunday.
“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane.” he wrote.
The White House’s current fleet includes two Boeing 747-200B planes customised for presidential use with special communications equipment and features like a stateroom, office and conference room, according to the US Air Force. The planes have been in use since 1990 and 1991.
Air Force One planes usually carry over to other administrations. According to the National Archives, only the Reagan presidential library has an Air Force One jet, and it flew seven presidents before being donated.
Qatar is said to be offering a version of a Boeing 747-8, a much newer model that ABC News reports has been upgraded into a “flying palace”.
Boeing had been contracted to provide the White House with newer planes, but Trump complained earlier this year that the company was behind schedule. His administration had initially negotiated with Boeing for two specialised 747-8 planes during his first administration.
The plane maker said the aircraft would not be available until 2027 or 2028.
“No, I’m not happy with Boeing. It takes them a long time to do, you know, Air Force One, we gave that contract out a long time ago,” Trump said in February.
“We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something.”
Trump had a positive diplomatic relationship with Qatar during his first term, which included an announcement in 2019 that the country would make a large purchase of American airplanes.
Qatar has also previously given private jets as gifts to other countries, such as a luxury plane given to Turkey in 2018.–BBC
