Trump plans to accept luxury 747 ‘gift’ from Qatar to use as Air Force One
The ‘flying palace’ would possibly be the most expensive gift ever received by the US government
Qatar has offered to donate a plane to the United States and details are still being worked out, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Monday.
“The Qatari Government has graciously offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense. The legal details of that are still being worked out,” Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News.
The luxury plane, which would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the US government, would eventually be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office, the source said. A new commercial 747-8 costs around US$400 million.
Trump appeared to confirm the proposal on Sunday in a social media post.
“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.
Democrats and good government advocates said it was unethical and likely unconstitutional for Qatar to make such a gift.