In recent weeks, President Trump has repeatedly referred to the $400 million Boeing 747 offered to him by the Qatari government as a “gift.” However, according to a CNN report, it was the U.S. leader himself who allegedly requested the “gift” in question.
As revealed by four sources close to the government, federal administration officials initially approached Qatar to inquire about acquiring a Boeing 747, which could have been used as Air Force One by the U.S. president.
After Trump took office in January, Boeing reportedly told the Pentagon that the company would not be able to deliver the new jets it was building to replace older presidential aircraft for another two years, according to sources. However, given such a long lead time, Trump instructed his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to find a list of viable aircraft. Boeing then provided Defense officials with a list of the company’s other customers around the world.
Eventually the Defense Department turned to Qatar. This is contrary to Trump’s claims, who has repeatedly described the potential deal with the local government as a “gesture” or “contribution” from the Qatari royal family. “A gift, free of charge,” the MAGA leader repeatedly wrote on his social profiles, referring to the aircraft. The president also added that he would have to be a stupid person to turn down a free plane from a foreign government.
In February, Trump visited the Qatari aircraft with some aides while at the airport in Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago resort. Later, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, stated that the president had climbed aboard “to test the new hardware.”
Details about the contact between the U.S. and Qatari administrations shed new light on the origins of the potential jet transfer, which has caused quite a bit of ill feeling in Washington. Democrats and several influential Republicans, who are usually staunch supporters of the president, have said they oppose the potential deal on ethical grounds.
The four people familiar with the discussions say the deal is still being worked out by lawyers for the two sides. On Monday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called the potential transfer a “donation to our country,” saying the Qatari royal family “has offered to donate this plane to the United States Air Force, where that donation will be accepted according to all legal and ethical obligations.”
Beyond the ethical and legal issues, adapting and installing the necessary security and communications equipment on a plane “donated” by another government, even if it is a friendly one, is a very long and very expensive job.
The U.S. intelligence and security agencies tasked with the overhaul would basically have to disassemble the plane down to its frame and rebuild it with the necessary equipment. As revealed by CNN, the various operations could take two years to complete.
