President Donald Trump said Sunday night that the Defense Department plans to accept a Boeing 747-8 jet to replace Air Force One as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE.”
CNN reported earlier Sunday that the Trump administration was set to accept a luxury plane from the Qatari royal family that will be retrofitted and used as Air Force One during the president’s second term, according to two people familiar with the agreement.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the multimillion dollar jet would be used on a temporary basis “in a very public and transparent transaction.”
Trump is set to embark Monday on his first major foreign trip, which includes a stop in Doha, Qatar.
Given the massive value of a Boeing 747-8, the move is unprecedented and raises substantial ethical and legal questions. A Qatari official said the plane is technically being gifted from the Qatari Ministry of Defense to the Pentagon, describing it more as a government-to-government transaction instead of a personal one. The Defense Department will then retrofit the plane for the president’s use with security features and modifications.
The plan is for the plane to eventually be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office, ensuring he can continue to use it, according to a person familiar.
