Qatar’s Plane Gift To Trump — A Bad Deal
It’s impractical, expensive, and has bad optics.
In my earlier article, posted below, on the potential Trump-Qatar executive airliner deal, I gave Team Trump the benefit of the doubt. I support Trump, in large part, because he thinks and acts outside the box.
If I didn’t do that I’d be in perpetual outrage or counter outrage mode. And that’s just unhealthy. It can also interfere with good judgment.
Too many on the left and right scream in outrage at the drop of a hat. And this plane deal is no different.
So, I played it down the middle, looking at it in a neutral way. As always, there are pros and cons to any shocking new Trump plan. And I discussed both.
I also prefer to wait because Trump often suggests wild things to test the waters, before refining, changing, or dropping them altogether.
And new information always affects the equation.
That being said, I’m revisiting the idea of Qatar gifting a 747 luxury jet to the Defense Department for possible use by President Trump as Air Force One, and its later donations to the Trump Presidential Library.
The gift President Trump calls a great deal, because it’s supposedly free. Note - It’s really not.
And while I’m still not reflexively outraged by the idea, as many are on both sides, I now see it as a net negative for Trump, MAGA, and the presidency.
If he is serious, and it’s not mostly a ploy to pressure Boeing to get their long-delayed Air Force One ready before Trump leaves office, he should probably reconsider taking the Qatari offer.
While, to me, no specific issue makes the deal wrong, the combination of issues makes it a bad idea, and even worse, a bad deal. (RELATED: American Homecoming: Terror Group Offers Unexpected Olive Branch Amid Peace Talks)
Unlike others, my doubts are less ethical and legal than practical, financial, and security.
Of course, the legal and ethical are still factors, and optics also plays a role.
So why is this such a bad deal?
1. Practicality — cost, time, security, and capability. It is becoming increasingly clear that bringing the Qatari 747 to U.S. presidential standards will be more expensive and time consuming than some may have thought.
Ensuring the plane is free of surveillance or tracking devices is the first concern. There are lots of ways and places to hide devices on huge airliners.
Then there is quality control for structural integrity, airworthiness, safety, and security, for a presidential aircraft.
There is also the issue of retrofitting secure communications suites, defensive measures, and EMP shielding for protection during attack or nuclear war.
All these things will take many months, if not years, to complete. So, regardless of the other concerns, this plane may not even be ready to be Air Force One before 2028 anyway.
And it will be very expensive. Especially considering it will only be an interim or temporary presidential aircraft. This alone should be a deal breaker.
2. National Security and Optics — gift from a kingdom friendly to Islamist terrorists and U.S. enemies.
While many consider Qatar a terror supporting and financing state, the U.S. still has good relations with the tiny Gulf state, including having major U.S. bases there.
We understand the Qataris play both sides, and act accordingly.
Still, the idea and optics of a U.S. president accepting such a massive gift, even if nominally for the Defense Department, from an uber wealthy Gulf state with questionable ties, is a very bad look. And can make Trump appear beholden to the Qatar royal family.
This is the issue at the forefront of right wing MAGA criticism. And it is valid.
3. Legal, ethical — precedent, spirit of the law, appearance of impropriety. These are the issues that the Democrats are screaming about most.
Is it legal? Is it ethical? Does it set a horrible precedent? While it may be legal depending on how the deal is structured, it will never be clear cut. And partly due to the nature of the gift and the givers, it will always be suspect ethically.
And this goes back to optics and the appearance of undue influence and impropriety. It will also set yet another bad precedent, following the horrible ones set by the Clintons, Bidens, and Obamas becoming filthy rich from the presidency.
The fact that Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi was once a lobbyist for Qatar only makes things look worse.
So, bottom line, the overall costs to this deal outweigh any perceived benefits. In terms Trump best understands, considering all these factors, this is just a bad deal. Trump should say thanks, but no thanks to a Qatari Air Force One.
https://americanliberty.news/commentary/qatars-plane-gift-to-trump-a-bad-deal/pcrespo/2025/05/
Gift Or Grift? — Qatar’s Offer Of A 747 As Trump’s Air Force One
The Trump team is in talks with the Qatari royal family about their donating or loaning a $400 million jumbo jet to the US Department of Defense. The plane would then be outfitted by DOD to serve as the US presidential aircraft — known as “Air Force One” when the president is on board.
The jet would then be donated to President Trump’s presidential library before he leaves office.
In a post on Truth Social the president said the Pentagon was getting the aircraft as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE,” to replace the 40-year-old jet “temporarily” serving as Air Force One.
This, as Trump has voiced his frustration over the delays in Boeing delivering two new 747-8 aircraft intended to serve as the permanent next aircraft to execute the presidential support mission.
In 2018, during his first term, Trump had negotiated a deal with Boeing for the jets to be ready by 2024. And Trump decided on a bold, patriotic new paint scheme to go with it.
His color scheme was discarded by Biden, and back again now.
However, an Air Force official informed Congress last week that it might not be available until 2028. If the deal is finalized, the luxury jet would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the US government.
In February, Trump expressed frustration at the delays, saying “I’m not happy with the fact that it’s taken so long … There’s no excuse for it.” He said his team was “looking at other alternatives” and that he was considering buying and refurbishing used jets.
While the deal is not final, ethics experts are raising concerns about the possible donation from a foreign government, which they say would be unconstitutional, violating the emoluments clause, which forbids US officials from accepting gifts from foreign officials without congressional approval.
Most of the bashing comes from Democrats. As Politico reported:
“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” wrote Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a post on X. “It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a frequent target of the president’s ire, accused Trump of violating that clause (in Article 1 of the Constitution), which bars any federal government office holders from accepting any “present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state,” absent Congressional approval.
“Seems pretty clear that a $400 million ‘air palace’ from a foreign emir qualifies,” he wrote on X. “The corruption is brazen.”
But some right wingers, such as Laura Loomer, also appear outraged. For them it’s not the gift itself, but the source that is concerning.
“I would take a bullet for him. But, I have to call a spade a spade,” she said. “This is really going to be such a stain on the admin if this is true… I’m so disappointed.”
Loomer Post on X
However, legal experts note that the plane will not be a gift to Trump, but that the Qatari Ministry of Defense would gift the super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to DOD. It would then be available for President Trump to use officially while in office before being donated to his presidential library foundation so he could use it after leaving office.
“It’s not a gift to me, it’s a gift to the Department of Defense,” Trump said, telling a reporter they should be “embarrassed” for asking what his response is to people who view the jet as a personal gift to him.
Air Force One can technically be any Air Force aircraft carrying the president, but it’s mainly associated with two planes that are part of the president’s air travel fleet, and both are “specially configured Boeing 747-200B’s,” according to the Air Force and Boeing. Beyond differing from Boeing’s standard 747 in terms of plane capacity, the Air Force One planes have different “electronic and communications equipment,” a self-contained baggage loader, air-stairs and it can refuel in-flight. It has a stateroom and office for the president, and a conference/dining room, along with separate accommodations for guests, staff and media.
When Could Trump Use The New Plane?
It’s not clear, because the plane would have to be retrofitted to meet the Air Force One standards for security. An unnamed Defense Department official told The New York Times on Sunday it would take a while to secure a contract to make the upgrades, and then actually modify the plane, saying: “We’re talking years, not months.”
Trump is set to visit Qatar during a trip to the Middle East this week where he was expected to announce the plane’s donation to the US.
However, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s Media Attaché to the U.S., told POLITICO the reports are “inaccurate,” suggesting the donation, at the very least, had yet to be finalized.
“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 U.S. Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” he said.
https://americanliberty.news/commentary/gift-or-grift-qatars-offer-of-a-747-as-trumps-air-force-one/pcrespo/2025/05/
Paul Crespo is the President of the Center for American Defense Studies, Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News, and Managing Partner of SPECTRE Global Risk. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes.
He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide.
He later ran for congress, taught political science, wrote for a major newspaper and co-hosted his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and abroad.