US President Donald Trump continued to defend his decision to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar during an exclusive interview with Sean Hannity on Air Force One on Tuesday. Trump has received widespread criticism for planning to accept the jumbo Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari royal family since news of the gift broke on Sunday.
“Now, some people say, ‘oh, you shouldn’t accept gifts for the country. “My attitude is, why wouldn’t I accept the gift? We’re giving to everybody else? Why wouldn’t I accept the gift?” the president said to Hannity. The luxury jet, which was offered to the United States because of delays in Boeing’s production of the new Air Force One fleet, will serve as a temporary method of transportation so that the current presidential plane doesn’t have to be flown. Trump has said AF1 is nearly 40 years old and looks “much less impressive” when compared to the planes in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. “You know, we’re the United States of America. I believe that we should have the most impressive plane,” Trump told Hannity.
In addition to Boeing running behind on delivering the new fleet, the jumbo jet is a gift to the Department of Defense for “a job well done” in successfully defending Qatar “for many years,” Trump added on Truth Social a few hours after the interview. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” he wrote. Trump has said the plane will be retired to the presidential library once Boeing delivers its new AF1 fleet.
Why the lavish gift is stirring controversy?
The U.S. Constitution prohibits government officials from accepting gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval. According to ABC News, both the White House and the Department of Justice argue the arrangement is legal, emphasising that the offer is not tied to any favour or action. Since the jet would first be transferred to the U.S. Air Force and eventually handed over to the Trump Presidential Library—not to Trump personally—it would not violate constitutional provisions. The Qatari government, meanwhile, has distanced itself from the characterisation of the plane as a “gift,” calling such reports inaccurate.Trump has long expressed dissatisfaction with the current Air Force One fleet—two heavily customised Boeing 747-200B aircraft that have been in service since the 1990s. Despite their advanced communication systems and missile defense technology, Trump views them as outdated. During his first term, he commissioned two new Boeing 747-8 aircraft to modernise the fleet, but production delays and rising costs have cast doubt on whether even one will be ready by 2029, when Trump’s current term is set to end. The brand-new Boeing 747-8 is estimated to cost around $400 million, making the Qatar jet a potentially significant, yet controversial, stopgap solution.