Trump defends prospect of Qatar giving him plane to use as Air Force One
The US President referred to the idea as being a clever move for the American economy.
US President Donald Trump is ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week – and American officials say it could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft.
The Qatari government said a final decision had not been made.
However, Mr Trump defended the idea – what would amount to a US President accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government – as a fiscally shrewd move for the country.
“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,” Mr Trump posted on his social media site on Sunday night. “Anybody can do that!”
ABC News reported that Mr Trump will use the aircraft as his presidential plane until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library.
The gift was expected to be announced when Trump visits Qatar, according to ABC’s report, as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the first extended foreign travel of his second term.
Before Mr Trump’s post trumpeting the idea, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attache, said in a statement that the “possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s ministry of defence and the US department of defence”.
“But the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, administration officials, anticipating ethics concerns, have prepared an analysis arguing that accepting the plane would be legal, according to ABC.
The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause bars anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State”, without congressional consent.
One expert on government ethics, Kathleen Clark of the Washington University School of Law in St Louis, accused Mr Trump of being “committed to exploiting the federal government’s power, not on behalf of policy goals, but for amassing personal wealth”.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer poked fun at Mr Trump’s “America first” political slogan.
“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” the New York Democrat said in a statement. “It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”
Even some conservatives expressed dismay online, noting that an aircraft being offered by a foreign government could present security risks if used by a US President.
