By ZEKE MILLER and WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is able to settle for a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a present from the ruling household of Qatar throughout his journey to the Center East this coming week, and U.S. officers say it may very well be transformed into a possible presidential plane.
The Qatari authorities mentioned a ultimate determination hadn’t been made. Nonetheless, Trump defended the thought — what would quantity to a president accepting an astonishingly invaluable present from a overseas authorities — as a fiscally good transfer for the nation.
“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 social media web site on Sunday evening. “Anybody can do that!”
The present was anticipated to be introduced when Trump visits Qatar, in line with ABC’s report, as a part of a visit that additionally contains stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the primary prolonged overseas journey of his second time period.
Earlier than Trump’s put up trumpeting the thought, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché, mentioned in an announcement 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.”
“But the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” the assertion added.
In the meantime, administration officers, anticipating ethics issues, have ready an evaluation arguing that accepting the aircraft can be authorized, in line with ABC. The Structure’s Emoluments Clause bars anybody holding authorities workplace from accepting any current, emolument, workplace or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State,” with out congressional consent.
One skilled on authorities ethics, Kathleen Clark of the Washington College College of Legislation in St. Louis, accused Trump of being “committed to exploiting the federal government’s power, not on behalf of policy goals, but for amassing personal wealth.”
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer poked enjoyable at Trump’s “America first” political slogan.
“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” the New York Democrat mentioned in an announcement. “It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”
Even some conservatives expressed dismay on-line, noting that an plane being supplied by a overseas authorities might current safety dangers if utilized by a U.S. president.
Air Drive One is a modified Boeing 747. Two exist, and the president flies on each, that are greater than 30 years outdated. Boeing Inc. has the contract to supply up to date variations, however supply has been delayed whereas the corporate has misplaced billions of {dollars} on the challenge.
Trump intends to transform the Qatari plane right into a aircraft he can fly on as president, with the Air Drive planning so as to add safe communications and different labeled parts to it. However it can nonetheless have extra restricted capabilities than the present planes that have been constructed to function Air Drive One, in addition to two different plane presently underneath building, in line with a former U.S. official.
The official was briefed in regards to the aircraft and spoke Sunday on the situation of anonymity to debate plans that haven’t but been made public.
The present planes used as Air Drive One are closely modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a spread of contingencies, together with radiation shielding and antimissile know-how. Additionally they embrace quite a lot of communications methods to permit the president to stay involved with the navy and challenge orders from anyplace on the earth.
The official instructed The Related Press that it will be potential to rapidly add some countermeasures and communications methods to the Qatari aircraft, however that it will be much less succesful than the present Air Drive One plane or long-delayed replacements.
Neither the Qatari aircraft nor the upcoming VC-25B plane could have the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the present VC-25A plane, which is the one the president presently flies on, the official mentioned.
Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the advocacy group Residents for Duty and Ethics in Washington, referred to as such a present “unprecedented.”
“The totality of gifts given to a president over their term doesn’t get close to this level,” Libowitz mentioned, including, “You have to ask, if he makes foreign policy — especially in regards to the Middle East — how much is he being influenced by his gifts and his business deals.”
ABC mentioned the brand new aircraft is just like a 13-year-old Boeing plane Trump toured in February, whereas it was parked at Palm Seaside Worldwide Airport and he was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago membership.
Trump confronted lawsuits for violating the Emoluments Clause throughout his first time period, however these have been ended by the Supreme Court docket in 2021, which discovered the instances moot as a result of the Republican had left workplace.
Trump’s household enterprise, the Trump Group, which is now largely run by his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has huge and rising pursuits within the Center East. That features a new deal to construct a luxurious golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, an actual property firm backed by that nation’s sovereign wealth fund.
Qatar, which is dominated by the Al Thani household, is dwelling to the state-owned airline Qatar Airways. The nation additionally has labored to have a detailed relationship to Trump after he apparently backed a boycott of Doha by 4 Arab nations in his first time period. Trump later in his time period applauded Qatar.
Administration officers have dismissed issues in regards to the president’s coverage pursuits blurring with household’s enterprise income. They observe that Trump’s property are in a belief managed by his youngsters and {that a} voluntary ethics settlement launched by the Trump Group in January bars the corporate from hanging offers instantly with overseas governments.
However that very same settlement permits offers with personal corporations overseas. That may be a departure from Trump’s first time period, when the group launched an ethics pact prohibiting each overseas authorities and overseas firm offers.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt, when requested Friday if the president may meet with individuals who have ties to his household’s enterprise, mentioned it was “ridiculous” to counsel Trump “is doing anything for his own benefit.”
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Related Press author Christine Fernando in Chicago and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
Initially Printed: Could 11, 2025 at 11:35 AM EDT
