Qatar's luxury jet gift to Trump is 'unconditional donation,' signed agreement says

USA Today

28-07-2025

According to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari officials, the free Boeing 747 is a "bona fide gift."
WASHINGTON − Qatar's gift to the White House of a luxury jumbo jet to serve as President Donald Trump's Air Force One is an "unconditional donation," according to a memorandum of understanding signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Qatari officials and viewed by USA TODAY.
The plane is a "bona fide gift" made in "good faith and in the spirit of cooperation," and is not contingent upon "any past, present or future official act or decision," according to the memo. The Defense Department will be responsible for the plane's operation and maintenance, it says.
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The memo was signed by Hegseth and Qatar's deputy prime minister and defense minister and dated July 7.
The $400-million gift from Qatar was announced as Trump visited the country on a trip to the Middle East in May. The Pentagon said later that month that Hegseth had officially accepted it; the Washington Post reported on July 25 that a final agreement in fact has yet to be reached.
Trump intends the Boeing 747 to become his new Air Force One, at least until sluggish repairs on other suitable planes can be completed. When Trump no longer needs it or after he leaves office, the plane will be transferred to his presidential library, the White House has said.
That process will require millions of dollars in renovations to ensure it meets the requirements of a plane carrying the president, including installing special security equipment and checking for spy devices. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told Congress in June the process would cost "probably less than $400 million," but Democratic lawmakers and experts have estimated the cost at $1 billion or more.
The New York Times reported on July 27 that $934 million was pulled from a financially fraught program to revamp the U.S.'s aging nuclear missile stockpile to fix up the plane.
The gift united critics from across the political spectrum, ranging from top Democrats to MAGA influencers like Trump confidante Laura Loomer. Democratic lawmakers said it smelled of corruption and called it a violation of constitutional rules barring U.S. officials from accepting gifts from foreign heads of state.
"This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said in a speech in May.
"I trust Qatar like I trust a rest-stop bathroom," Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana, told Fox News.
Justice Department sued over memo greenlighting gift
A press freedom organization sued the Justice Department on July 28 for refusing to release a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi that greenlit the gift as "legally permissible," according to court documents.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation requested the memo under the Freedom of Information Act in mid-May, but was told by the Justice Department that it would be under wraps until Jan. 25, 2027, according to the complaint.
Trump's acceptance of the plane was "bolstered by Attorney General Bondi's memorandum reportedly finding no legal impediment to the Administration's acceptance of the jet," attorneys for the plaintiff wrote.