Will Trump really replace Air Force One with a Qatar plane?

The President of the United States is set to accept a gift of a luxurious Boeing 747-8 from the royal family of Qatar.

Breaking News: President Trump plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar that he will use as Air Force One and will keep using after he leaves office. The plan — involving possibly the biggest foreign gift ever received by the U.S. government — raises substantial ethical issues.

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-05-11T16:09:01.672Z

An unprecedented gesture in presidential history, which many already regard as a blatantly corrupt maneuver. The Trump administration has reportedly already expressed its intention to use the aircraft as a replacement for Air Force One, before handing it over to its future presidential library.

For their part, Democrats criticized Trump’s announcement that they would accept the gift without prior Congressional approval, as required by law.

Many reacted strongly to Trump’s announcement that he would accept the Qatari gift. Bernie Sanders denounced the decision, while Chuck Schumer blasted a gesture contrary to the American spirit, ironizing: “Nothing says America First like an Air Force One brought to you by Qatar”.

https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1921643208343204053

The acceptance of a gift of such value by a sitting president, directly from a foreign government, raises serious concerns of potential corruption, particularly if it occurs without prior Congressional approval.

The mere risk of undue influence is enough to warrant an alert, especially as even some of Trump’s highly controversial allies are concerned. This is the case of Laura Loomer, who declared on X that this decision “would be a stain on the admin”.

Let’s remember that Trump begins his first official trip away from home this week, outside of Pope Francis’ funeral, with scheduled stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

This content was created with the help of AI.