The Trump administration is getting ready to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar to replace Air Force One until Donald Trump’s second term ends, when ownership of the plane will be shifted to his presidential library foundation, ABC News reported, citing sources familiar with the agreement.
Trump is scheduled to visit Qatar next week where the gifted plane — which has been described as “a flying palace” worth $400 million — is anticipated to be announced. If the deal goes through, it would be the most expensive gift ever offered to the United States by a foreign government. Trump personally toured the plane in February when it was at West Palm Beach International Airport.
The emoluments clause of the Constitution bars federal officeholders from “accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State” without approval from Congress. But administration lawyers have given the gift the green light.
Per ABC News’ sources, Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington determined it is “legally permissible” because the plane will be given on the terms that its ownership will transfer to Trump’s presidential library before he leaves office. But first, the 13-year-old plane will be given to the U.S. Air Force, which will cover the costs of updating the plane to meet U.S. military specifications necessary to transport the president, ABC News sources familiar with the anticipated arrangement.
Government lawyers in the White House and Department of Justice decided that the present does not amount to bribery because it is not being gifted on the condition of an official act. Bondi additionally decided that the gift is not bribery because the plane is being given to the Air Force and then to Trump’s presidential library rather than to Trump himself.
One reason Trump would want a new aircraft from Qatar is that plans to build a new fleet of Air Force One planes have been delayed and over budget on a $3.9 billion contract. Although a contract was signed with Boeing in 2018 — during Trump’s first administration — to build the new fleet, the planes were not expected to be ready to use until 2029, after Trump’s second term expires. Trump has asked Elon Musk to help expedite the process.
While Musk’s efforts have moved the delivery date up by two years, Trump is antsy to enjoy a luxurious new Air Force One sometime this year. Enter the Qatari royal family and their “palace in the sky.”
Concerns about accepting the plane from Qatar include the security ramifications of accepting such a present — one that will not only transport the president but also host sensitive and classified conversations — from a foreign government. The gifted plane also may not be able to perform at the same level as the current Air Force One jets, and the short timeline won’t allow for performance modifications.
“You could do some paint, you could do some communications upgrades, and I suspect it would be hard to do too much beyond that on that timeline,” Andrew Hunter, the Air Force’s acquisition under Biden, told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month.
The Trumps seem to be fostering a close relationship with the Qatari government and royal family. Late last month, the Trump Organization announced it has agreed to build a new Middle East golf course in Qatar in partnership with Qatari Diar, a real estate company created by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund. The chair of Qatari Diar is a minister in the government of Qatar.
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