The United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a Boeing 747 as a gift from Qatar for President Donald Trump to potentially use as Air Force One, the Pentagon has said.
Spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president.
He said the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
When asked by reporters about the move in the Oval Office, Trump said only, “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet.”
He was forced to defend the offer when it first emerged a week ago and questions were raised over what would would be an immensely expensive gift donated from a foreign government to a serving official.
Trump dismissed concerns and said the idea was a fiscally smart move in a post shared on his Truth Social platform.
“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 posted.
ABC News reported last week that the US president would use the aircraft as his plane until right before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership would be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library.
The broadcaster also reported a week ago that administration officials had prepared an analysis which demonstrates that accepting the plane was legal.
However, the US Constitution’s Emoluments Clause bars anyone in government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any “king, prince, or foreign state” without congressional consent.
Buying influence?
When news of the gift first broke, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer poked fun at Trump’s “America First” political slogan, stating “nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar.”
“It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom,” he added.
Other lawmakers also expressed dismay, noting that an aircraft being offered by a foreign government could present security risks if used by a US president.
The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology.
They also include a variety of communications systems which allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world.
Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said such a gift was “unprecedented.”
“The totality of gifts given to a president over their term doesn’t get close to this level,” Libowitz said.
The starting price for a new Boeing 747 is around $367 million (€323 million) before interior work with luxury VIP models selling for more than $600 million (€528 million).
The plane Qatar has offered Trump is estimated to be worth around $400 million (€352 million) which Trump called a “great gesture.”
