The Division of Protection Wednesday mentioned it has formally accepted a controversial free luxurious jumbo jet from Qatar that President Trump hopes to make use of as his Air Power One.
The Pentagon mentioned it is going to quickly take possession of the Boeing 747, which specialists say will now must bear in depth safety retrofitting that would take years and value a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
The tremendous luxurious airplane, which the oil-rich Gulf nation had been attempting to promote for years, was accepted free of charge “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” mentioned Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman.
Trump plans to make use of the opulent jet whereas he’s president then hand it over to his presidential basis.
He has angrily dismissed critics who say it’s little greater than a glorified bribe from a corrupt emirate that has been accused of backing the Palestinian terror group Hamas and different U.S. enemies within the fractious Center East.
“They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” Trump mentioned Wednesday throughout an unrelated Oval Workplace assembly with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at which the overseas chief joked that he wished he had the same jet to present Trump.
(L-R) South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, U.S. President Donald Trump and Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik communicate to journalists within the Oval Workplace on the White Home on Might 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photograph by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos)
The Structure’s emoluments clause bars presidents from taking items from overseas nations with out congressional approval.
Trump and the Pentagon say the airplane shouldn’t be actually a present to him personally though nobody has defined why it shouldn’t stay property of the U.S. navy or the American individuals in perpetuity.
Trump desires the spiffy new experience within the sky as a result of he considers the present Air Power One to be outdated and ill-fitting with the picture of America as a worldwide powerhouse.
The federal government has a contract with Boeing to supply two new Air Power One jets, however the deal has been stricken by price overruns and delays. The planes are actually anticipated to be delivered in 2027, the final 12 months of Trump’s time period.
Trump says the Qatari airplane would function a “bridge” to the brand new jets, however some specialists say it might take longer than that to arrange the brand new jet for his protected use.
Initially Revealed: Might 21, 2025 at 3:29 PM EDT
