Five Things to Know about Qat-Air Force One

Last week, the Trump Administration formally accepted a 747 jetliner as a gift from the government of Qatar, which President Donald Trump has said he intends to temporarily use as a new Air Force One. The plane, which industry executives estimate is worth about $200 million, is the largest gift ever accepted by an American president from a foreign government.

Unsurprisingly, the plan has drawn widespread concern, criticism, and condemnation from both sides of the aisle. And yet, in the face of overwhelming opposition, the White House is plowing ahead – likely because the plane is scheduled to be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library after Trump’s term, making it more of a gift to Donald Trump than a gift to the United States…

This story isn’t going away. Here are five things to keep in mind as Trump shamelessly continues his grift:

It’s not exactly free. “President Donald Trump insists he’s getting a ‘free, very expensive airplane’ from Qatar’s royal family. But it’s not much of a gift for the American taxpayer.” After accepting the plane, American taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for a private contractor, who will be tasked with ripping apart the jet and turning it into “a flying White House for the president with secure communications and classified upgrades.” According to Air Force officials and lawmakers, the process is likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The American people aren’t getting anything out of this. Trump has claimed 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.” But that’s hardly the case. The Defense Department already has functioning planes that serve as Air Force One – as well as two more which are currently under development. And they aren’t allowed to keep Qatar’s gift because Trump is taking it with him after he leaves office. In 2029, the next President of the United States will likely return to flying in the current version of Air Force One – and the American people will be left wondering what we just spent hundreds of millions of dollars on…
This is a counterintelligence nightmare. Using a plane from a foreign government as Air Force One would be a “counterintelligence nightmare” according to intelligence experts. "Even under the best of circumstances, it's going to take a significant effort for the military to be satisfied that the aircraft is constructed safely, that it's not compromised from the standpoint of intelligence collection capabilities being planted on it, and that it is built in a way that it will be able to assimilate the sensitive communications and countermeasure capabilities that are that are present on any plane that's Air Force One…”
This is just the tip of the grifting iceberg. Earlier this month, Trump made his first planned visit abroad to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates – three Middle Eastern monarchies at the center of his multi-billion dollar moneymaking operation. In the weeks leading up to the trip, the Trump Organization announced billions of dollars in new investments in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi. These Middle Eastern monarchies are blatantly buying access and influence to the Trump Administration – while Trump and his billionaire business partners reap the benefits.
The Attorney General is hardly calling balls and strikes. The White House has strenuously defended Trump’s acceptance of the jet by pointing to a ruling from the Department of Justice that the gift is legally permissible. Of course, the individual who made that determination, Attorney General Pam Bondi, is hardly a neutral arbiter. “Bondi used to work as a registered lobbyist for foreign clients, including the government of Qatar — the same government that’s apparently prepared to reward Trump with a jet.” Bondi’s firm received $115,000 per month from the Embassy of Qatar for its lobbying work. Senate Democrats are investigating a potential conflict of interest.

Published: May 2025