Trump defends 'gift' of super-luxe $400 million plane from Qatar

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on May 12, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

President Donald Trump on Monday defended his plan to accept a super-luxe $400 million jumbo jet as what he portrayed as a generous gift from the royal family of Qatar.

Claiming the opulent “palace in the sky” would help bridge the gap until Boeing completes a new presidential Air Force One, Trump said he’d be stupid to turn down the offer, which critics and even some allies denounced as brazen corruption.

“I could be a stupid person and say: ‘We don’t want a free plane,'” Trump told reporters before leaving on a three-day trip to the Middle East. “We give free things out. We’ll take one too.”

“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” Trump said.

The White House claims the plane would be a gift to the Department of Defense, which operates Air Force One as a presidential jet, but also said it would be transferred to Trump’s presidential foundation after he leaves office.

It wasn’t clear why the opulently renovated Boeing 747 shouldn’t be considered property of the U.S. government or how the American public would benefit from its being given to an entity controlled by Trump.

Trump claimed that he wouldn’t personally use the jet once he leaves office and brushed aside suggestions the offer was an effort to buy influence with him.

“It’s a very generous gesture,” Trump said.

Democrats and even some MAGA stalwarts quickly denounced the gift as blatantly illegal and a clear violation of the Constitution, which bars presidents from accepting “any present from any king, prince or foreign leader” without approval of Congress.

The purpose of the clause is to prevent foreign nations from buying influence or access, an obvious concern when it comes to Trump, who makes little effort to hide his transactional view of the powers of the presidency.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., mocked the plane deal by suggesting Trump always puts his own interests ahead of the country’s.

“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” Schumer said in a statement. “It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called the plane deal “nuclear grade graft” and vowed to block arms sales to any nation that does personal business with the Trump family.

Even Laura Loomer, a staunch far right-wing supporter of Trump, called the planned deal a “stain” on the president’s record.

Experts said the offer also poses massive security questions because of the need for extensive protection against foreign spying.

Regardless of the luxury trimmings that reportedly wowed Trump, the new plane would need to be subjected to a massive tail-to-cockpit renovation project before Trump or any other president could use it. The price tag for such a renovation is unknown.

Trump has been dissatisfied with the standard of Air Force One since his first term.

The feds and Boeing agreed on a deal for a new iteration of the country’s premier presidential aircraft during former President Barack Obama but the deal has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.

_____