Trump set to accept jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One
FILE-President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One at Tuscaloosa National Airport on May 01, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump reportedly is poised to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week.
The Qatari government said a final decision hadn't been made, but Trump defended the potential of getting the plane.
"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," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday night. "Anybody can do that!"
What will Trump use the plane for?
Dig deeper:
President Donald Trump will use the aircraft as his presidential plane until shortly before he leaves the White House in January 2029, the Associated Press reported, citing ABC News.
Trump plans to transform the Qatari aircraft into a plane he can fly on as president, with the Air Force planning to add secure communications and other classified parts to it.
However, the aircraft will still have limited capabilities compared to the existing planes that were built to serve as Air Force One, and two other aircraft are currently under construction, a former U.S. official told the AP.
ABC News reported that the new plane is like a 13-year-old Boeing aircraft Trump toured in February, while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport.
Before Trump's social media post about the potential gift, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché, said in a statement that the "possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense," the AP noted.
Can Trump accept the aircraft from Qatar?
The backstory:
According to Congress.gov, the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause prohibits anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any "King, Prince, or foreign State," without permission from Congress.
Qatar, which is ruled by the Al Thani family, is home to the state-owned airline Qatar Airways. The country has made efforts to have a close relationship with President Donald Trump after he reportedly supported a boycott of Doha by four Arab nations in his first term. Trump later in his term lauded Qatar.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Associated Press, ABC News, and Congress.gov. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.