Trump insiders shed light on Qatar's $400 million jet offer
A damning new report has thrown cold water on President Donald Trump's repeated claims that Qatari officials have offered him their $400 million jumbo jet as a 'gift' to replace aging Air Force One planes. Trump has boasted on his Truth Social page that the private Boeing 747 is a 'GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE,' and it would be a temporary replacement for Air Force One. Afterward, it would be donated to his presidential library. Leaders on both sides of the aisle have criticized the president over the supposed gift - urging him to be wary of accepting a 'bribe.'
But CNN now reports that the Trump administration had actually first reached out to Qatari officials about the jet they had been trying to sell since at least 2020. The network claims that Boeing had informed the Trump administration shortly after he took office in January that the company would not be able to deliver replacement parts for the aging presidential jets until 2027. At that point, the White House Military Office - which oversees presidential travel - worked with Boeing and the Department of Defense to compile a list of every late model 747 on the market with a business-jet layout, which could easily be retrofitted into a presidential plane.
However, only eight planes in the world fit the bill - including the flashy double decker Qatari jet, according to the New York Times. It wound up greatly appealing to President Trump, with its brochure boasting 'soft fabrics of the highest quality' in the bedroom along with 'luxurious leather and exquisite wood veneers' and a 'lavishly designed bathroom' that is 'almost a piece of art.' At that point, Trump ordered Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (pictured) to begin negotiations with Qatari officials with whom he was intimately familiar after the country's sovereign wealth fund bailed him out of a failed real estate deal in New York City in 2023.
By mid-February, the Times reports, Qatar agreed to send the jet to Florida while Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago resort so he could see it first hand. He was apparently taken away with the jet that features a master bedroom, a guest bedroom, two full bathrooms with showers, nine smaller lavatories, five small kitchens, and a private office. It also comes with oversized couches and recliners, wood paneling, and more than 40 televisions, including 10 big-screen TVs. But with all of the features, aerospace engineer Marc Foulkrod said there would be a limited number of prospective buyers.
The major airlines would not be interested in purchasing the plane because it was not configured for commercial use, he explained. The plane also has four engines and is expensive to maintain and operate. Getting parts over time will also become more difficult as the model is no longer manufactured. But, Foulkrod said, 'You might find that one-off guy that has a super ego that wants to buy one and ride around in it.' It now appears the Qatari officials found that 'guy' with Trump, who the Times reports was left marveling at what he had seen as he was forced to fly back to Washington DC on one of the existing Air Force One 747s. From there, negotiations with Qatari officials ramped up.
Yet the initial discussions centered around the possibility of leasing the plane rather than buying it. It is now unclear when the conversations shifted from buying the luxury jet to accept a government-to-government gift. One senior White House official claimed that Qatar first raised the option of offing the jet as a potential gift - or at least that Qatari officials were 'agreeable' to the idea of a no-charge, government-to-government transfer when it came up. A second official claimed Witkoff had always believed the transaction would be a donation, while a third claimed Qatari officials volunteered the idea of a donation.
Ultimately, White House officials said they came to the conclusion that a donation would be simpler and quicker than a sale. But Qatari officials reportedly believed they were selling the jet, with one official telling the Times that no decision has been made yet about transferring the plane to the United States and that legal Qatar's Defense Ministry and the US Department of Defense are still reviewing the legal terms. 'This is a very simple government-to-government dealing when Ministry of Defense and Department of Defense are still exchanging the possibility of transferring one of our 747-8 to be used as Air Force One and it's still under legal review,' Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told CNN. 'At the end of the day, if there is something that the US [needs] and it's completely legal and we can, we are able to help and to support the US, then we are not shying away.'
He added that 'of course the offer would be withdrawn if the transaction were deemed illegal.' Meanwhile, the White House has doubled down on its assertion that it is getting the new plane for free from Qatar. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the plane is a 'donation to our country,' adding that the government and the royal family 'has offered to donate this plane to the United States Air Force, where the donation will be accepted according to all legal and ethical obligations.'
But the news of the gifted plane sent politicians worrying about its legal and ethical consequences. 'The Constitution in Article II talks about how the president can't take emoluments or gifts from foreign leaders,' Sen. Rand Paul , R-Ky., said on Fox News. 'We're not talking about a ride on the plane; we're talking about the entire $400 million plane. I think it's not worth the appearance of impropriety.' The Constitution states that no president should accept 'any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever,' without 'the consent of the Congress.' Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also told reporters: 'It would be better if Air Force One were a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America.'
Trump's home state senator, Florida Republican Rick Scott, was more blunt in his assessment. 'I'm not flying on a Qatari plane,' Scott said. 'They support Hamas. I don't know how you make it safe.' But Trump has since hit out at his detractors as he expressed his concern that his 2018 order for new planes to replace the aging fleet has been continuously delayed by Boeing. '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,' the president posted online. 'Anybody can do that! The Dems are world class losers!' Trump sneered.
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