President Trump, frustrated with the slow pace of upgrading the Air Force One fleet, wants a new plane this year —and the royal family in Qatar is set to deliver.
His administration is poised to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet known as “a flying palace” that was previously used by the Qatar government, according to media reports. The aircraft is worth around $400 million, per ABC News — not including the communication and defensive upgrades that will be needed for presidential travel. The U.S. government has commissioned defense contractor L3Harris to refurbish it, the Wall Street Journal previously reported.
Lawyers in the Trump administration say the plane poses no legal issues even though the Constitution forbids U.S. government officials from accepting gifts “from any King, Prince or foreign State,” ABC reports. It could be the biggest foreign gift ever received by the U.S. government, per The New York Times.
Attorney General Pam Bondi says the plane will be given to the U.S. Air Force — not Trump — and will be donated to his presidential library when he leaves office, per ABC. Trump, who owns a much older 757 plane known as “Trump Force One,” will be able to continue using the newer jet as a private citizen, The Times reports.
“Even in a presidency defined by grift, this move is shocking,” Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, told The Times. “It makes clear that U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump is up for sale.”
Trump ordered two new planes for the Air Force One fleet during his first term, and Boeing won a nearly $4 billion contract to deliver them. But they are years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget, and the latest estimate is they won’t be ready until 2027.
Trump toured the 13-year-old Qatar plane in February when it was parked at a Palm Beach airport and is scheduled to visit the Middle East country next week, ABC reports. Trump and his family also have business interests there — the Trump Organization struck a deal in April to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, The Associated Press reports.
It’s not the only way Trump is blinging out his second term. He’s hung new portraits with gold frames in the Oval Office and added gold ornaments to the mantel of the fireplace where he meets with world leaders. There’s a gold FIFA World Cup trophy on a table beside his desk, golden eagles on a side table and gold “Trump 47” coasters, NPR reports.
Trump plans to add a $100 million ballroom to the White House and pave part of the Rose Garden so that it resembles the patio at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, The Times reports. And he wants to hang a grand chandelier from the Oval Office ceiling, per The Times.
NBC News reports the military parade Trump is planning next month in Washington, D.C. — set to be held on the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and Trump’s 79th birthday — could cost as much as $45 million. “Peanuts compared to the value of doing it,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Read more
about this topic
