Air Force One is reportedly set for a luxurious upgrade as ABC News reports the Qatari government is gifting President Donald Trump a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, a move drawing scrutiny and legality concerns over possible corruption and foreign influence.
Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar's Media Attaché to the U.S., told Newsweek in a Sunday afternoon email that reports are "inaccurate" and that "the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments and no decision has been made."
Newsweek has reached out to the White House, Pentagon, and State Department for comment via email on Sunday. Newsweek has also filled out a contact request form with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Critics warn the high-end gift could set a troubling precedent, encouraging other foreign actors to offer luxury goods in pursuit of favorable treatment or possible business dealings. Others are concerned with the legality of the move and if it violates the Constitution's foreign emoluments clause.
Concerns over blurred lines between politics and personal business have repeatedly surfaced during both Trump administrations. The Trump Organization—now run by the president's sons Eric and Donald Jr.—continues pursuing real estate ventures in the Middle East. At the end of April, the organization announced a new $5.5 billion Simaisma development of a luxury golf resort north of Doha.
Gold flight experience on a presidential jet
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former senior adviser, drew scrutiny after securing a $2 billion investment from a Saudi fund led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman just six months after leaving the White House.
What To Know
The gift is expected to be announced this week during Trump's visit to Qatar, according to ABC News on Sunday. Shortly after, The New York Times also reported on the matter, citing a senior official with direct knowledge. The president reportedly toured the plane, which is referred to as "a flying palace," in February while it was stationed in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Al-Ansari told Newsweek in an email statement, "Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate."
The statement continued: "The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar's Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made."
The aircraft, which would be upgraded to meet presidential specifications by aviation firm L3Harris, is expected to serve as Air Force One. L3Harris declined to comment to Newsweek on Sunday morning. The official, cited by the Times, says the plane will be properly fitted by the end of the year.
Just days before the end of Trump's second term, the plane is expected to be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.
The DOJ allegedly looked into the legality of the gift and concluded it does not violate the bribery laws or the Constitution, and that it would be "legally permissible" to transfer the plane to the presidential library ahead of the end of Trump's second term.
Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat and former constitutional law professor, pushed back on the DOJ's reported interpretation, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "Trump must seek Congress' consent to take this $300 million gift from Qatar. The Constitution is perfectly clear: no present 'of any kind whatever' from a foreign state without Congressional permission. A gift you use for four years and then deposit in your library is still a gift (and a grift)."
His social media post points to the Constitution's foreign emoluments clause, Article I, Section 9, Clause 8, which 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 clause's purpose is to prevent corruption and limit foreign influence on U.S. officials.
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat and vocal Trump critic, echoed similar sentiments, writing on X that given the clause, "[it] seems pretty clear that a $400 million 'air palace' from a foreign emir qualifies. The corruption is brazen."
Last month, Schiff called for an investigation into whether Trump and his administration engaged in insider trading amid the president's tariffs policy rollout and subsequent pauses that led to the stock market shooting up.
What People Are Saying
Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights advocacy group, said in a statement emailed to Newsweek: "Trump's plan to accept a luxury plane from Qatar is blatantly unconstitutional, a textbook violation of the emoluments clause. The concern with foreign gifts is that they can sway a president's policy and predilections—and there's little doubt that Qatar wants to gift Trump a 'palace in the sky' for exactly that reason...Even in a presidency defined by grift, this move is shocking. It makes clear that US foreign policy under Donald Trump is up for sale."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a Friday briefing: "I think it's frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit. He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service, not just once but twice...This is a president who has actually lost money for being president."
Matt McDermott, a Democratic pollster and strategist, wrote in an X post on Sunday: "A foreign regime gifting a jet to a former president. It's bribery in broad daylight."
"Republicans Against Trump," which has almost 900,000 followers on X, wrote Sunday: "A few weeks ago, the Trump family business signed a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar. A foreign monarchy (that funds and hosts terrorists) giving the U.S. president a $400M jet while cutting deals with his business? Textbook corruption."
Travis Akers, retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer and military families advocate, wrote on X: "This is corruption in its rawest form."
Political commentator Russell Drew wrote on X: "Donald Trump's foreign policy is now just corruption in a gold wrapper. A $400M jet from Qatar—a regime that funds terror—while his family cashes in on a golf resort deal? This isn't diplomacy. It's grift. He's not leading the country—he's auctioning it off."
What Happens Next?
Trump will begin his first Middle East trip of his second term on Monday, stopping in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, and notably not visiting Israel.
