The luxury plane, which would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the U.S. government, would eventually be donated to Trump's presidential library after he leaves office
LIBRARY ON A PLANE, FILLED WITH ALL HIS OWN BOOKS
Reuters Published 12.05.25
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration intends to accept a Boeing 747-8 plane as a gift from the Qatari royal family that would be outfitted to serve as Air Force One, according to a source briefed on the matter.
The luxury plane, which would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the U.S. government, would eventually be donated to Trump's presidential library after he leaves office, the source said. A new commercial 747-8 costs approximately $400 million.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social late on Sunday, Trump appeared to confirm the proposal.
"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," he wrote.
The motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump is parked next to a 12-year old Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 that Trump was touring in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 15, 2025.Reuters
Democrats and good government advocates said it was unethical and likely unconstitutional for Qatar to make such a gift.
"Nothing says 'America First' like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X. "It's not just bribery, it's premium foreign influence with extra legroom."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, "Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump's administration is committed to full transparency."
A Qatari spokesperson, Ali Al-Ansari, told the New York Times that the possible transfer of the aircraft was still under consideration and "no decision has been made," the newspaper reported.
ABC News was first to report the planned gift on Sunday.
Trump has expressed frustration at the delays in delivering two new 747-8 aircraft to serve as an updated Air Force One. During his first term, Trump had reached a deal with Boeing to deliver the jets in 2024. A U.S. Air Force official told Congress last week that Boeing had proposed finishing the planes by 2027.
Trump toured the Qatari-owned 747-8 in February when it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago resort. At the time, the White House said the president did so to get a better understanding of how the updated Air Force One planes would be configured.
In a statement, a spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, a good government organization based in Washington, questioned whether the transfer might violate the Constitution's ban on U.S. officials accepting gifts from foreign governments absent congressional approval.
"This sure looks like a foreign country that the president has personal business dealings in giving the president a $400 million gift right before he meets with their head of state," the spokesman, Jordan Libowitz, said.
Trump is set to visit Qatar during a trip to the Middle East this week. The airplane will not be presented or accepted while Trump is in Qatar.
ABC reported, citing sources, that lawyers for the White House counsel's office and the Department of Justice had prepared an analysis concluding that it would be legal and constitutional for the Defense Department to accept the plane as a gift and later transfer it to Trump's presidential library.
Trump ‘plans to accept’ $400,000,000 luxury plane gift from Qatar royal family
Craig Munro
Published May 12, 2025
Top left, the plane at Palm Beach airport and below, the interior (Pictures: Reuters/AFP/AMAC Aerospace)
Donald Trump is expected to accept one of the most generous foreign gifts ever offered to a US President – a $400 million jumbo jet.
Qatar’s royal family dangled the enormous ‘flying palace’ in front of the luxury-loving leader in Florida earlier this year, suggesting it could replace the aging Air Force One.
The aircraft would reportedly be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he completes his term in office, allowing him to make use of it in a personal capacity.
In a post on his Truth Social site, the president suggested the arrangement would be temporary and called Democrats ‘losers’ for criticising the move.
He wrote: ‘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.
‘Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!’
But the donation has led to criticism beyond just Democrats, with influencer and die-hard Trump fan Laura Loomer writing she ‘would take a bullet’ for the president but he ‘cannot accept’ the plane.
She accused the Qataris of funding ‘Iranian proxies’ who have ‘murdered US Service Members’, and said acceptance would be ‘such a stain on the admin’.
ABC News reported the US Attorney General Pam Bondi and top White House lawyer David Warrington had concluded the deal would be ‘legally permissible’ as long as it is handed to the presidential library before the end of the president’s term.
Trump previously toured the plane when it visited Florida’s West Palm Beach International Airport near his Mar-a-Lago property in February.
Craig Munro
Published May 12, 2025
Top left, the plane at Palm Beach airport and below, the interior (Pictures: Reuters/AFP/AMAC Aerospace)Donald Trump is expected to accept one of the most generous foreign gifts ever offered to a US President – a $400 million jumbo jet.
Qatar’s royal family dangled the enormous ‘flying palace’ in front of the luxury-loving leader in Florida earlier this year, suggesting it could replace the aging Air Force One.
The aircraft would reportedly be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he completes his term in office, allowing him to make use of it in a personal capacity.
In a post on his Truth Social site, the president suggested the arrangement would be temporary and called Democrats ‘losers’ for criticising the move.
He wrote: ‘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.
‘Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!’
But the donation has led to criticism beyond just Democrats, with influencer and die-hard Trump fan Laura Loomer writing she ‘would take a bullet’ for the president but he ‘cannot accept’ the plane.
She accused the Qataris of funding ‘Iranian proxies’ who have ‘murdered US Service Members’, and said acceptance would be ‘such a stain on the admin’.
ABC News reported the US Attorney General Pam Bondi and top White House lawyer David Warrington had concluded the deal would be ‘legally permissible’ as long as it is handed to the presidential library before the end of the president’s term.
Trump previously toured the plane when it visited Florida’s West Palm Beach International Airport near his Mar-a-Lago property in February.
A conference room inside the new plane (Picture: AMAC Aerospace)
A new Boeing 747-8, of the type being offered, would cost around $400 million.
The US Government has been seeking a replacement for Air Force One – actually two planes, though the designation is only given to the one carrying the president at a particular time – for more than 15 years.
They have been in use since George HW Bush’s administration in the early nineties, and the interiors were designed by former first lady Nancy Reagan.
By contrast, the interior of the new plan was designed by renowned French firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet.
It features staterooms, dining rooms and conference rooms with plush carpets and leather couches.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws.’
She added: ‘President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency.’
A new Boeing 747-8, of the type being offered, would cost around $400 million.
The US Government has been seeking a replacement for Air Force One – actually two planes, though the designation is only given to the one carrying the president at a particular time – for more than 15 years.
They have been in use since George HW Bush’s administration in the early nineties, and the interiors were designed by former first lady Nancy Reagan.
By contrast, the interior of the new plan was designed by renowned French firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet.
It features staterooms, dining rooms and conference rooms with plush carpets and leather couches.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: ‘Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws.’
She added: ‘President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency.’
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