Air Force One...via Qatar?
The ethical and security problems with accepting a $400mn gift from a foreign government are not going unnoticed by even Trump's most loyal supporters.
During his first term, Trump commissioned Boeing to build two new Air Force One planes1 for the cool price of $3.9bn. At the time, Trump acknowledged he would probably never get to use the new planes, since they would not be ready until the mid-2020s (when he would presumably no longer be in office).
Fast-forward to today, and progress has been slower than hoped. Boeing now doesn’t expect to deliver the new planes until 2027, much to Trump’s chagrin.
But it looks like there might be a solution to Trump’s Air Force One ‘problem’. Over the weekend, it was reported that discussions are ongoing for the Qatari royal family to donate a 747 airplane to the US government, specifically the Defense Department, for its use as Air Force One. Then, as Trump’s term in office winds down in 2028, the plane will be passed off to his presidential library, for his private use (though Trump has also said he won’t use the plane once his presidency ends). On Sunday night, Trump directly confirmed this report.
The plane is worth around $400mn, and would probably be the most valuable gift ever provided to the United States from a foreign government.
Why government officials can’t accept gifts
Ethical concerns
While on foreign trips or hosting leaders on state visits to Washington, Presidents and US officials typically receive gifts. Officials can accept gifts worth less than $480 without any issue. But if a gift is valued at more than $480, the official has to pass it on to the National Archives or the president’s prospective presidential library (which typically houses documents and memorabilia from the president’s time in office), unless the official pays fair market value to personally keep the gift.
This is consistent with the Constitution, which explicitly states US government officials are forbidden from accepting gifts or valuables from foreign officials without Congressional approval. The Constitution’s emoluments clause reads:
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
The reason for this is simple: by accepting a gift of value from a foreign leader, the president and his administration may feel beholden to that country, and potentially make decisions intended to reciprocate this gift.
A quid-pro-quo, we give you a plane, you give us favorable treatment on the international stage.
Relatedly, a 2023 US government report found that over 100 gifts worth ~$250k which Trump received from foreign leaders during his first term had not been accounted for.
Security ramifications
Setting aside the ethical implications, there are still major security concerns. As the official plane for the President of the United States, Air Force One is fairly important. Any foreign government or intelligence organization would love to have eyes and ears in the plane, privy to all of the conversations and communications contained therein. The president’s plane has to be the safest and most secure aircraft in the world, fitted with the latest anti-missile defense and communication systems that allow the president to securely run the US from the air, and state of the art security to protect against cyberattacks, jammed signals and even nuclear attack.
How do we know the Qataris haven’t embedded secure communications / listening devices within the structure of the aircraft? What about a backdoor into the plane’s system that could allow someone else to override the plane’s controls?
To ensure the plane is up-to-snuff, one former Secret Service agent told The Washington Post, “you’d pretty much have to take the plane down to the skeleton and put it back together. The security of every individual component is a big deal.” For the government to ensure the plane is free of external influence, and indeed the most secure airplane ever built, it will take years (not to mention hundreds of millions of dollars) to take apart and put back together like Humpty Dumpty.
The Trump administration’s response
When asked about the plane, Trump was defiant. In his words, he would have to be a “stupid person” to reject a “free, very expensive airplane.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice concluded the donation was “legally permissible” as long as ownership transferred to Trump’s presidential library before the end of his term. The analysis concluded the plane does not run afoul the emoluments clause because it is being provided to the US Air Force, which will upgrade the plane to meet the required US military specs, and then Trump’s presidential library foundation, not to a single individual.
Notably, Bondi previously served as a lobbyist for the Qatari government. Additionally Kash Patel, the current director of the FBI, also worked as a consultant for the Qatari government. Unlike Bondi though, Patel did not register this information under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
A Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 filing shows that Bondi represented the government of Qatar during Trump 1.0.
Even some of Trump’s most vocal supporters have questioned this decision
You would expect Democrats to be outraged by Trump’s actions, and they are. But what is more noteworthy is some of Trump’s most loyal followers are not OK with this Qatari gift.
A number of Republican senators, including some who are typically in lock-step with Trump, have expressed concerns. Last year, Republican senators introduced legislation demanding the Biden administration revoke Qatar’s status as a major non-NATO US ally unless the country stopped providing financial support for terrorist groups, so it would appear they are demonstrating at least a modicum of ideological consistency.
The conservative personality Ben Shapiro also showcased a bit of introspection when he commented on the matter (PTO emphasis added):
If you want President Trump’s agenda to succeed, taking jets from Qatar is not the way…Yes, I think inherently it is bad. I do not think this is good. I think if we switch the names to Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, we’d all be freaking out on the right. Let’s say if Qatar was giving Joe a $400 million jet for his use at his presidential library after his presidency … we’d all have been pretty upset on the right. We might have said that it was worthy of some coverage
And one of Trump’s most loyal followers denounced the gift on X.
To provide a bit of context: for nearly two decades Qatar helped prop up Hamas in Gaza and allowed the group to establish its political base in Doha. The Qataris have also long been associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, a regional terrorist network, and al-Qaeda. During Trump’s first term, he publicly accused the Qatari government of funding terrorism.
When someone like Laura Loomer, who has reportedly influenced Trump’s decision-making about national security personnel, is this vocal in her opposition to a Trump decision, than you know something is off.
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To sum up, there are ethical concerns, national security worries, and protests from the Republican party over this gift from Qatar.
What makes it even more fascinating is that, if the government actually upgrades the plane and does a thorough sweep for issues (as it definitely should) + Trump sticks to his word and doesn’t use the plane post-2028 and it just sits at his presidential library like Air Force One at Reagan’s library, then the plane very well might never get used!
The cherry on the sundae? The message being sent of Trump accepting a $400mn gift while, at the same time, telling parents their kids should expect fewer dolls this coming holiday season because of the tariff war.
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Cheers!
I like to think he was inspired by this great early 2000s song. Instead of ‘two pairs’, I want ‘two planes’!
Why is this plane worth only $400m but the two Boeing plans have a value of $3.8b? That 5x cost per plan can’t be solely the security and military build out is it?
Fun song reference!