The Prime Minister of Qatar has defended the country’s $400 million gift to President Donald Trump, saying that such exchanges between friendly countries are “normal”.
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani commented on the accusations that Qatar was gifting the jet to Trump just to get on the President’s good side, saying that the gift is simply a donation to another world leader.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in a Sunday interview that the pending transfer of a Qatari luxury jet “detracts from” what he saw as President Trump‘s “largely successful” Middle East trip and “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest.”
Why it matters: Paul, who has already cautioned against the possible gift to Trump, is one of a group of Republicans who have raised legal, ethical and national security concerns over the prospect of the administration accepting a jet worth roughly $400 million to potentially serve as Air Force One.
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Paul said on ABC’s “This Week” that there is “probably a perfectly legal way” the plane could be accepted, but added that he thinks the discussion has “raised more questions than I think it’s worth.”
- Paul, who said he has in the past pushed to block arms sales to Qatar and Saudi Arabia over alleged human rights abuses, contended, “Could it color the perception of the administration if they have a $400 million plane to be more in favor of these things? Perhaps.”
- Paul continued, “It at least gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. I don’t think it’s worth the headache.”
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/18/trump-qatari-jet-conflict-of-interest-rand-paul
The U.S. accepted Qatar’s gift of a Boeing 747 to serve as the new Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday, despite the ethical quandaries and potential constitutional violations it entails.
President Trump has brushed off any concerns about the appearance of accepting the $400 million gift despite objections from Democrats and some Republicans.
Trump scoffed at the criticism, saying it would be “stupid” to turn down a new Air Force One.
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/trump-qatar-boeing-747-plane-accepted
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s alleged connection to Qatar has drawn criticism as the Qatari government plans to gift President Donald Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 for temporary use as Air Force One. Bondi previously lobbied Congress for Qatar, earning $115,000 a month in 2020. The situation has since fueled legal and ethical concerns regarding foreign gifts to U.S. officials.
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Democratic pollster Matt McDermott said, “The DOJ memo approving Trump’s Qatari jet? Written by Pam Bondi. Her last job? Lobbying for Qatar.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pam-bondi-under-fire-over-qatar-jet-wrong-signal/ss-AA1F5kGq
President Donald Trump’s claim that a jet plane from the Qatari royal family was a “gift” is facing turbulence after multiple sources tell CNN it was in fact the Trump administration that initiated talks to acquire the Boeing 747 that could temporarily serve as Air Force One.
Four sources familiar with the discussions contradict Trump’s implied line that Qatar spontaneously offered the plane. Instead, they say US officials, frustrated by delays in Boeing’s delivery of the new presidential fleet, actively pursued alternative options — Qatar among them.
“Qatar was one of the clients,” a source told CNN, explaining that Boeing pointed the Pentagon toward existing international customers. “The Pentagon offered to buy the plane and Qatar indicated it was willing to sell it.”
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The administration was told by Boeing, which is making the next generation of Air Force One planes, that the two planes would not arrive until 2027. Trump wanted something sooner. So the Pentagon, with the White House backing, reached out to Qatar.
Boeing had given the administration a list of possible planes that could work as Air Force One in the meantime, and Qatar had one of those planes.
The president’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, he also helped facilitate these early meetings. The Pentagon then offered to buy the plane, and Qatar offered to sell it. Now, we’re told the lawyers are still hashing out the details, but the White House is still claiming that this is going to be a donation from Qatar. Or, as Trump wrote on Truth Social recently, a gift “free of charge.”
“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ’n’ roll in dangerous times,” he said in the minute-long speech, to raucous cheers.
“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” he continued before asking fans to “raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”
Later in the evening, Springsteen offered a withering takedown of what he’s seen happening in the U.S. under Trump.
“They are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,” Springsteen began, in remarks that were later posted on his website and YouTube channel. He continued:
They’re rolling back historic Civil Rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They’re defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons.
He also took aim at Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as the Democratic Party, arguing that they had all failed to protect Americans “from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.”
Still, he said, “The America that I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real, and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So, we’ll survive this moment.”
And of course the vile King Donald just can’t resist the temptation to badmouth the Boss, and Biden, too. The final score:
Donald Trump caught his first sight of the so-called “palace in the sky” in February as he climbed the red-carpeted steps of the Boeing 747-8.
The Qatari plane was parked at Florida’s West Palm Beach International Airport, and offered a chance for the president to see what a newly refitted Air Force One could look like, easing his frustration with the long-delayed Boeing project.
In the event, it appears to have been more of a test drive. His administration’s plan to accept the $400m (£300m) luxury jet from the Qatari royal family, which he is expected to use after his presidency, is the latest example of what many view as an increased disregard for ethics in Washington under his second term.
During his first term in the White House, foreign governments buying meals and block-booking rooms at Trump hotels set alarm bells ringing.
Yet now the president has created even more opportunities for those looking to curry favour with him – and his children. From pay-to-dine cryptocurrency schemes, a new social media platform that carries advertising and the expansion of their property empire, it has never seemed easier for the Trump family to line their pockets.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/05/18/trump-turned-white-house-cash-machine
As secretary of the Air Force, I was frustrated by Boeing’s failure to deliver the new Air Force One aircraft on time.
I can understand that President Trump would like a new aircraft, painted as he desires and available for use during his term in office. I cannot understand his willingness to accept the “gift” of a luxuriously appointed, used Boeing 747 from Qatar.
It is wrong to accept this gift from any perspective.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has urged President Donald Trump to reject Qatar‘s offer of a $400 million jumbo jet to replace Air Force One amid fears it could jeopardize the commander-in-chief’s safety.
In an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, Pence said he was concerned that Qatar supports Hamas, and that the Arab kingdom has supported Al Qaeda.
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“But Qatar has a long history of playing both sides,” he continued. “They support Hamas. They supported Al Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pence-fears-terrorist-link-to-trumps-400-million-qatar-plane-gift
‘The plane that you are on right now is almost 40 years old,’ Trump remarked, referring to Air Force One and noting that the Boeing planes purchased by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar were ‘brand new 747s.’
‘You see ours next to it. This is like a totally different plane. It’s much smaller and less impressive, as impressive as it is,’ Trump said. ‘We are the United States of America I believe we should have the most impressive plane.’
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The 747-8 offered by the Qataris is considered more fuel efficient and quiet but it is most notable for it’s luxurious interior, designed by famed French design firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet.
Only the best for His Majesty, the Emir of Washington!
