Tag Archives: Sen. Rand Paul

Axios: Qatari jet “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest” for Trump, senator says

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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.”
Qatari jet “gives the appearance of a conflict of interest” for Trump, senator says
Paul said on ABC’s “This Week” that the discussion has “raised more questions than I think it’s worth.”

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/18/trump-qatari-jet-conflict-of-interest-rand-paul

Associated Press: Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries

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For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer.

“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” the Republican told reporters on Monday. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”

Critics of the plan worry that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

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But security is the primary concern when it comes to presidential travel. The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War. They are hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and include a range of security features, such as anti-missile countermeasures and an onboard operating room. They are also equipped with air-to-air refueling capabilities for contingencies, though it has never been utilized with a president on board.

A former U.S. official briefed on the Air Force One replacement project said that while it would be possible to add some features to the Qatari jet, there was no way to add the full suite of capabilities to the plane on a tight timetable.

Trump’s plan to accept free Air Force One replacement from Qatar raises ethical and security worries
For President Donald Trump, accepting a free Air Force One replacement from Qatar is a no-brainer. But Trump’s plan threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-qatar-air-force-one-2ef13d87b71185bde547abe6840b098c

MSNBC: As Trump blames Biden for the shrinking economy, here’s who really owns this crisis

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During the campaign, there were repeated warnings about what would happen if Donald Trump went through with his promise of sweeping global tariffs. Just over 100 days into his second term, we’re seeing those warnings come to life.

On Wednesday, the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% during the first quarter, marking the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 of 2022. In a Truth Social post, Trump quickly tried to pass the blame for that number onto Joe Biden. “This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th,” Trump wrote.

But the truth is, Trump isn’t the only one who deserves blame here. If I’m a Democrat, I’m not blaming this all on Trump. Republicans in the Senate had a chance on Wednesday to take a stand against these tariffs and terminate the “national emergency” the president used to implement them. There’s no national emergency that could justify what the president has done. Republicans know that.

Before Trump took the White House, the U.S. economy was the envy of the world. Republicans needed to protect that economy, and they had the opportunity to do that with Wednesday’s vote. But, in the end, only three Republican senators were brave enough to take a stand against Trump. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to tell the administration that they refused to forfeit all of their power on tariffs to the White House.

The American people will feel the impact of Trump’s tariffs — if they haven’t already. When the next election comes around, the same Republicans who refused to stand up to the president can’t go on the campaign trail and point their finger at Trump. Those Republicans own this. The Republican senators who refused to join their colleagues on Wednesday own it. Republican House members who have stood idly by as Trump wreaks havoc on the economy own it.

Under Trump, elected Republicans have given up their power. They had a chance to take back their constitutionally mandated power on Wednesday — all but three said “no” and effectively told the American people that they wrap their arms around this economy, around a possible recession, and they take full credit for it.

As Trump blames Biden for the shrinking economy, here’s who really owns this crisis
Joe Scarborough calls out Republicans for refusing to stand up to Trump over tariffs and says they deserve part of the blame for the struggling U.S. economy.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/as-trump-blames-biden-for-the-shrinking-economy-here-s-who-really-owns-this-crisis/ar-AA1E3o5z