BIG BEAUTIFUL EMOULMENT
President Donald Trump meets with the Emir of Qatar during their bilateral meeting, Sunday, May 21, 2017, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
May 11, 2025
ALTERNET
President Donald Trump is slated to “accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar,” known as “a flying palace,” ABC News reports.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, along with White House counsel David Warrington, advised the Trump administration “it would be ‘legally permissible’ for the donation of the aircraft to be conditioned on transferring its ownership to Trump's presidential library before the end of his term, according to sources familiar with their determination,” ABC News reports.
The report describes the arrangement as “unprecedented,” noting it raises “questions about whether it is legal for the Trump administration, and ultimately, the Trump presidential library foundation, to accept such a valuable gift from a foreign power.”
READ MORE: 'Pretty bleak': Trump-voting Nevada truckers face 'significant hardship' from his policies
Aviation industry experts told ABC the aircraft is estimated to value "about $400 million,” — not including the cost of retrofitting the craft with “the additional communications security equipment the Air Force will need to add to properly secure and outfit the plane in order to safely transport the commander in chief.”
Trump’s potential acceptance of what amounts to a $400 million gift from a foreign government stunned experts and journalists alike.
Democratic Pollster and Strategist Matt McDermott noted that just last week, “[the] Trump Organization announce[d] new $5.5 billion golf course in Qatar.”
“Surely just a coincidence,” McDermott wrote of Qatar’s latest gift to the president.
READ MORE: 'Rigged for the rich': Dems propose a different kind of Social Security overhaul
McDermott described himself as “speechless” upon learning of the president’s new plane.
“A foreign regime gifting a jet to a former president,” McDermott posted on X. "It’s bribery in broad daylight.”
ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl called the plane “perhaps the biggest foreign gift ever.”
“[Department of Justice] insists it’s legal, not bribery, not violation of emoluments clause,” Karl added.
READ MORE: There's only one thing blocking Trump's treason
CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem warned “the surveillance and security aspects are also as disturbing as the grift.”
“Qatar will surely offer a plane that satisfies their needs as well,” she wrote.
CNN Medical Analyst Jonathan Reiner noted Air Force One is "a military aircraft" and is "not intended to be a palace because the U.S. doesn’t have a king.”
Read the full report at ABC News.
'Very bad idea': Even Republicans are revolting over Trump scheme to get $400 million plane from Qatar
President Donald Trump is slated to “accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar,” known as “a flying palace,” ABC News reports.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, along with White House counsel David Warrington, advised the Trump administration “it would be ‘legally permissible’ for the donation of the aircraft to be conditioned on transferring its ownership to Trump's presidential library before the end of his term, according to sources familiar with their determination,” ABC News reports.
The report describes the arrangement as “unprecedented,” noting it raises “questions about whether it is legal for the Trump administration, and ultimately, the Trump presidential library foundation, to accept such a valuable gift from a foreign power.”
READ MORE: 'Pretty bleak': Trump-voting Nevada truckers face 'significant hardship' from his policies
Aviation industry experts told ABC the aircraft is estimated to value "about $400 million,” — not including the cost of retrofitting the craft with “the additional communications security equipment the Air Force will need to add to properly secure and outfit the plane in order to safely transport the commander in chief.”
Trump’s potential acceptance of what amounts to a $400 million gift from a foreign government stunned experts and journalists alike.
Democratic Pollster and Strategist Matt McDermott noted that just last week, “[the] Trump Organization announce[d] new $5.5 billion golf course in Qatar.”
“Surely just a coincidence,” McDermott wrote of Qatar’s latest gift to the president.
READ MORE: 'Rigged for the rich': Dems propose a different kind of Social Security overhaul
McDermott described himself as “speechless” upon learning of the president’s new plane.
“A foreign regime gifting a jet to a former president,” McDermott posted on X. "It’s bribery in broad daylight.”
ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl called the plane “perhaps the biggest foreign gift ever.”
“[Department of Justice] insists it’s legal, not bribery, not violation of emoluments clause,” Karl added.
READ MORE: There's only one thing blocking Trump's treason
CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem warned “the surveillance and security aspects are also as disturbing as the grift.”
“Qatar will surely offer a plane that satisfies their needs as well,” she wrote.
CNN Medical Analyst Jonathan Reiner noted Air Force One is "a military aircraft" and is "not intended to be a palace because the U.S. doesn’t have a king.”
Read the full report at ABC News.
'Very bad idea': Even Republicans are revolting over Trump scheme to get $400 million plane from Qatar
Left: FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for travel back to Washington, D.C., at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. May 4, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo. Right: Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization and son of U.S. President Donald Trump looks at the 3D model of Trump International Golf Club & Trump Villas project with Qatari Minister of Municipality & Chairman of Qatar Diar Abdullah Al Attiya, launched between Qatar Diar and DarGlobal in Doha, Qatar, April 30, 2025. REUTERS/Bassam Masoud
May 11, 2025
ALTERNET
'ABC News on Sunday reported President Donald Trump is poised to accept “what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government” — “a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar” to be used “as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation.”
According to ABC News, “the gift is expected to be announced next week” after “lawyers for the White House counsel's office and the Department of Justice drafted an analysis for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth concluding that is legal for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift and later turn it over to the Trump library.”
As AlterNet reported Sunday, the proposed gift — which aviation industry experts told ABC is estimated to value "about $400 million” — stunned Democrats and journalists alike. But, as news of the plane plan proliferated on social media Sunday, even some Republicans were concerned about conflicts of interest arising from the proposal.
“I’m sure the podcasters who are deeply alarmed by foreign influence will be all over this,” National Review editor Philip Klein wrote Sunday on X.
“Call me a crazy RINO neocon, but I think it’s bad for the President of the United States to accept a $400 million ‘gift’ from an Islamist regime that funds terrorist organizations that murder Americans,” conservative writer and podcast host Ian Haworth argued.
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson agreed.
“The Qatari government is not our friend, cooperates with Iran and its proxies, and funds terrorism and pro-terror propaganda around the world,” Erickson wrote in a tweet Sunday.
READ MORE: 'Buyer’s remorse' as MAGA faithful face 'gradual — then sudden — realization' Trump only hurts them
The Bulwark podcast host Tim Miller suggested Trump’s interest in receiving a gift from Qatar undermines the president’s “anti-semitism initiative.” The Trump administration has threatened funding for private universities over what it claims is a failure of universities to address rampant antisemitism on campus.
“Hamas’ sugar daddies are giving Trump a fancy plane? I guess the admin’s anti-semitism initiative has some carve outs,” Miller wrote Sunday.
National Review commentator Stephen L. Miller offered a succinct analysis on reports of Trump’s gift from Qatar.
“That sounds like a very bad idea,” Miller wrote.
Read the full report from ABC News.
ALTERNET
'ABC News on Sunday reported President Donald Trump is poised to accept “what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government” — “a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar” to be used “as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation.”
According to ABC News, “the gift is expected to be announced next week” after “lawyers for the White House counsel's office and the Department of Justice drafted an analysis for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth concluding that is legal for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift and later turn it over to the Trump library.”
As AlterNet reported Sunday, the proposed gift — which aviation industry experts told ABC is estimated to value "about $400 million” — stunned Democrats and journalists alike. But, as news of the plane plan proliferated on social media Sunday, even some Republicans were concerned about conflicts of interest arising from the proposal.
“I’m sure the podcasters who are deeply alarmed by foreign influence will be all over this,” National Review editor Philip Klein wrote Sunday on X.
“Call me a crazy RINO neocon, but I think it’s bad for the President of the United States to accept a $400 million ‘gift’ from an Islamist regime that funds terrorist organizations that murder Americans,” conservative writer and podcast host Ian Haworth argued.
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson agreed.
“The Qatari government is not our friend, cooperates with Iran and its proxies, and funds terrorism and pro-terror propaganda around the world,” Erickson wrote in a tweet Sunday.
READ MORE: 'Buyer’s remorse' as MAGA faithful face 'gradual — then sudden — realization' Trump only hurts them
The Bulwark podcast host Tim Miller suggested Trump’s interest in receiving a gift from Qatar undermines the president’s “anti-semitism initiative.” The Trump administration has threatened funding for private universities over what it claims is a failure of universities to address rampant antisemitism on campus.
“Hamas’ sugar daddies are giving Trump a fancy plane? I guess the admin’s anti-semitism initiative has some carve outs,” Miller wrote Sunday.
National Review commentator Stephen L. Miller offered a succinct analysis on reports of Trump’s gift from Qatar.
“That sounds like a very bad idea,” Miller wrote.
Read the full report from ABC News.
As Trump family’s Gulf empire grows, rulers seek influence, arms, tech
By AFP
May 10, 2025
Eric Trump recently signed a luxury real estate deal for the Trump Organization in Doha - Copyright AFP Karim JAAFAR
Aya Iskandarani
Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s Gulf visit next week, his son Eric was promoting his crypto firm in Dubai, while Don Jr prepared to talk about “Monetising MAGA” in Doha.
Last month, the Trump Organization struck its first luxury real estate deal in Qatar, and released details of a billion-dollar skyscraper in Dubai whose apartments can be bought in cryptocurrency.
In a monarchical region awash with petrodollars, the list of Trump-related ventures is long and growing. However, the presidential entourage is not the only party cashing in, analysts say.
“Gulf governments likely see the presence of the Trump brand in their countries as a way to generate goodwill with the new administration,” said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
If the president chose, he could hopscotch the region from one Trump venture to another when he visits Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week on the first foreign tour of his second term.
From Dubai’s Trump International golf course, to a high-rise apartment block in Jeddah and a $4-billion golf and real estate project on Omani state-owned land, business links are not hard to find in the desert autocracies.
At the Dubai crypto conference in April, Eric Trump and Zach Witkoff — the son of Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve — announced that Emirati fund MGX would use USD1, a cryptocurrency developed by their firm, to invest $2 billion in Binance, a crypto exchange.
– Political influence –
The original title of Donald Trump Junior’s talk at this month’s Qatar Economic Forum, “Monetising MAGA: investing in Trump’s America” was later changed to the more neutral “Investing in America”, cached versions show.
Among such investments is the $2 billion that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund reportedly ploughed into the private equity fund of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former advisor.
The Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based asset manager Lunate have also invested $1.5 billion into the fund, according to Bloomberg.
The Trump Organization has been run by the president’s two eldest sons, Don Jr and Eric, since his 2016 election win. While he no longer holds an executive title, Trump has retained his stake in the family business via a trust.
For the Gulf states, which are trying to diversify their fossil fuel-reliant economies by attracting tourism and investment, Trump-branded, luxury-focused developments are a good fit.
However, that is not the only benefit, as they spy an easy route to access and influence at the heart of the world’s most powerful country, experts say.
According to Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the IISS think tank, signing deals with Trump beats the well-worn approach of buying US weaponry.
“For decades, the Gulf states’ colossal weapons purchases have lined the pockets of US defence companies whose PACs (political action committees) are among the largest donors to US election campaigns,” he said.
“Catering to the Trump family’s commercial interests is perhaps seen as a shorter and more effective route toward the same objective: political influence,” he said.
– ‘More than commercial plays’ –
“In return, the Gulf states want US arms, assurances and advanced technology,” notably artificial intelligence, Alhasan said.
One major interest for the UAE, which aims to be a leader in artificial intelligence, is securing access to advanced US technologies including AI chips under restricted export.
The USD1 transaction by state-owned AI fund MGX, chaired by the president’s brother Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, came after he visited Washington in March and reportedly lobbied for access to the chips.
Gulf dealings with the Trump Organization pale in comparison with government pledges, including the Saudi promise of $600 billion for US trade and investments.
The White House has said the UAE has committed to a 10-year, $1.4-trillion dollar investment framework, a figure not confirmed or denied by Abu Dhabi.
Riyadh was Trump’s first official visit in his inaugural term. Ahead of this trip, the United States approved a $3.5-billion sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia.
“From the Gulf side, these investments are far more than just commercial plays -– they are strategic transactional levers,” said Middle East analyst Andreas Krieg.
By AFP
May 10, 2025
Eric Trump recently signed a luxury real estate deal for the Trump Organization in Doha - Copyright AFP Karim JAAFAR
Aya Iskandarani
Ahead of US President Donald Trump’s Gulf visit next week, his son Eric was promoting his crypto firm in Dubai, while Don Jr prepared to talk about “Monetising MAGA” in Doha.
Last month, the Trump Organization struck its first luxury real estate deal in Qatar, and released details of a billion-dollar skyscraper in Dubai whose apartments can be bought in cryptocurrency.
In a monarchical region awash with petrodollars, the list of Trump-related ventures is long and growing. However, the presidential entourage is not the only party cashing in, analysts say.
“Gulf governments likely see the presence of the Trump brand in their countries as a way to generate goodwill with the new administration,” said Robert Mogielnicki of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
If the president chose, he could hopscotch the region from one Trump venture to another when he visits Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week on the first foreign tour of his second term.
From Dubai’s Trump International golf course, to a high-rise apartment block in Jeddah and a $4-billion golf and real estate project on Omani state-owned land, business links are not hard to find in the desert autocracies.
At the Dubai crypto conference in April, Eric Trump and Zach Witkoff — the son of Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve — announced that Emirati fund MGX would use USD1, a cryptocurrency developed by their firm, to invest $2 billion in Binance, a crypto exchange.
– Political influence –
The original title of Donald Trump Junior’s talk at this month’s Qatar Economic Forum, “Monetising MAGA: investing in Trump’s America” was later changed to the more neutral “Investing in America”, cached versions show.
Among such investments is the $2 billion that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund reportedly ploughed into the private equity fund of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and former advisor.
The Qatar Investment Authority and Abu Dhabi-based asset manager Lunate have also invested $1.5 billion into the fund, according to Bloomberg.
The Trump Organization has been run by the president’s two eldest sons, Don Jr and Eric, since his 2016 election win. While he no longer holds an executive title, Trump has retained his stake in the family business via a trust.
For the Gulf states, which are trying to diversify their fossil fuel-reliant economies by attracting tourism and investment, Trump-branded, luxury-focused developments are a good fit.
However, that is not the only benefit, as they spy an easy route to access and influence at the heart of the world’s most powerful country, experts say.
According to Hasan Alhasan, a senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the IISS think tank, signing deals with Trump beats the well-worn approach of buying US weaponry.
“For decades, the Gulf states’ colossal weapons purchases have lined the pockets of US defence companies whose PACs (political action committees) are among the largest donors to US election campaigns,” he said.
“Catering to the Trump family’s commercial interests is perhaps seen as a shorter and more effective route toward the same objective: political influence,” he said.
– ‘More than commercial plays’ –
“In return, the Gulf states want US arms, assurances and advanced technology,” notably artificial intelligence, Alhasan said.
One major interest for the UAE, which aims to be a leader in artificial intelligence, is securing access to advanced US technologies including AI chips under restricted export.
The USD1 transaction by state-owned AI fund MGX, chaired by the president’s brother Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, came after he visited Washington in March and reportedly lobbied for access to the chips.
Gulf dealings with the Trump Organization pale in comparison with government pledges, including the Saudi promise of $600 billion for US trade and investments.
The White House has said the UAE has committed to a 10-year, $1.4-trillion dollar investment framework, a figure not confirmed or denied by Abu Dhabi.
Riyadh was Trump’s first official visit in his inaugural term. Ahead of this trip, the United States approved a $3.5-billion sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia.
“From the Gulf side, these investments are far more than just commercial plays -– they are strategic transactional levers,” said Middle East analyst Andreas Krieg.
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