Trump set to accept luxury 747 from Qatar to use as Air Force One, ABC News says
US President Donald Trump's administration intends to accept a Boeing 747-8 plane as a gift from the Qatari royal family that would then be outfitted to serve as Air Force One, ABC News reported on Sunday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The luxury plane, which would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the US government, would be donated to Trump's presidential library after he leaves office, ABC said. A new commercial 747-8 costs about $400m (R7.3bn).
Democrats and good government advocates condemned the reported plan, saying it raised massive ethical and legal concerns.
'Nothing says 'America First' like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,' Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X.
'It's not only bribery, it's premium foreign influence with extra legroom.'
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Qatari spokesperson Ali Al-Ansari told the New York Times news reports about the gift were 'inaccurate' because the possible transfer of the aircraft was under consideration and 'no decision has been made', the newspaper reported.
Trump has expressed frustration about delays in delivering two new 747-8 aircraft to serve as an updated Air Force One. During his first term, Trump had reached a deal with Boeing to deliver the jets in 2024. A US air force official told Congress last week Boeing had proposed finishing the planes by 2027.
Trump toured the Qatari-owned 747-8 in February when it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, near Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. At the time, the White House said the president did so to get a better understanding of how the updated Air Force One planes would be configured.
A spokesperson for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a good government organisation based in Washington, questioned whether the transfer might violate the constitution's ban on US officials accepting gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval.
'This sure looks like a foreign country where the president has personal business dealings giving the president a $400m gift before he meets with their head of state,' Jordan Libowitz said.
Trump is set to visit Qatar during a trip to the Middle East this week.
ABC reported, citing sources, that lawyers for the White House counsel's office and the department of justice had prepared an analysis concluding it would be legal and constitutional for the defence department to accept the plane as a gift and later transfer it to Trump's presidential library.
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