White House and Qatar in Talks Over Presidential Jet for Trump Administration

[Social Media]

 

White House and Qatar in Talks Over Presidential Jet for Trump Administration

 

The White House is currently engaged in discussions with Qatar’s royal family over the potential transfer of a luxury jumbo jet for use as Air Force One during President Trump’s second term. While initial reports hinted that the aircraft might be a gift, Qatar clarified that the plane would not be donated but rather made available for “temporary use” as part of ongoing talks between the two governments.

 

Qatar’s Media Attaché to the United States, Ali Al-Ansari, stated that negotiations are continuing between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense. “The matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” he confirmed. The deal, if completed, is expected to see the aircraft eventually transferred to Trump’s presidential library once his term ends, according to reporting by CBS News.

 

This development comes as President Trump prepares for a high-profile visit to Qatar, part of his first major foreign tour since returning to office. The jet under discussion is reportedly a version of the Boeing 747-8, a newer and significantly more advanced model than the two Boeing 747-200B planes currently serving as Air Force One. ABC News described the plane as having been upgraded into a “flying palace.”

 

While the aircraft could be a major upgrade, it won’t be immediately ready for use. Sources told CBS News that it will need retrofitting and extensive security clearance before the president can travel in it. The arrangement is also likely to provoke scrutiny, with legal experts and ethics watchdogs raising questions over the propriety and transparency of such a transfer.

 

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, addressed the matter on Sunday. “Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump's Administration is committed to full transparency,” she said.

 

The U.S. Air Force’s current presidential aircraft have been in service since 1990 and 1991 and include a range of customized features such as secure communications systems, a stateroom, and a mobile command center. Traditionally, these planes continue in use across multiple administrations.

 

Only one retired Air Force One jet has ever been donated to a presidential library—the Reagan Library—after serving seven U.S. presidents.

 

Qatar has a history of gifting aircraft to allies; in 2018, the Gulf state gave a luxury jet to Turkey. The talks with the U.S. may be rooted in the strong diplomatic ties established during Trump’s first term, which included a major purchase of American airplanes by Qatar announced in 2019.

 

The deal also surfaces amid frustrations expressed by Trump over Boeing’s delays in delivering two 747-8s that were initially ordered during his first presidency. In February, Trump criticized the manufacturer, saying, “No, I’m not happy with Boeing. It takes them a long time to do, you know, Air Force One, we gave that contract out a long time ago. We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something.”

 

Given the delays from Boeing, the proposed transfer from Qatar could provide a timely solution. However, its political, legal, and diplomatic implications are still under review, and the outcome of the talks remains uncertain.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC  2025-05-12

 

 

[Ralf001]

11 minutes ago, Social Media said:

 

 

The deal also surfaces amid frustrations expressed by Trump over Boeing’s delays in delivering two 747-8s that were initially ordered during his first presidency. In February, Trump criticized the manufacturer, saying, “No, I’m not happy with Boeing. It takes them a long time to do, you know, Air Force One, we gave that contract out a long time ago. We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something.”

 

 

 

 

Prolly could get one from China fairly quickly.

[Tug]

Now that is exactly why we have the emmoulants  clause)I know my spelling is wrong) that absolutely smacks of corruption and trying to curry favor.

[stevenl]

2 hours ago, Social Media said:

President Trump's Administration is committed to full transparency,” she said.

Lol. 

[impulse]

I'm all for it if it shames Boeing into getting their house in order.

 

[Eric Loh]

House GOP and even die hard Laura Loomer are speaking out against this blatant corruption of the Emolument Clause. Qatar is a major financial supporter of Hamas and has sponsored jihadists. Time to impeach the convicted felony and rid the world of an insane disrupter. 

[Eric Loh]

“ President Donald Trumpis ready to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatarduring his trip to the Middle East”.

 

Good lord, Qatar realized the folly of allowing the greedy corrupt paws of Trump to be gifted the plane. They have rescinded the gift. So embarrassing for Trump and America. 

[impulse]

As I recall, 747's aren't converted to Air Force One.  They're built from the ground up, even using different alloys than a production 747.  Of course, it's possible that the Qatari's ordered it that way for their ruling family.  Nothing but the best...  Heck, it may be better than a US gub'ment specked AF1.

 

I don't have a dog in this fight. I could see it going many different ways.  But I'm not all up in arms, given how many freebies the US taxpayers have paid for around the world.  Including a lot more than $400 million of free airplanes.  Maybe it's time we got some back...  Call it a modest "thank you" for spending $billions keeping the sea lanes open for their oil.

 

And I am glad to see Boeing feel the pressure and shame, so maybe they'll get their house in order and start delivering stuff on time and not stuff that falls out of the sky.

 

[LosLobo]

53 minutes ago, impulse said:

As I recall, 747's aren't converted to Air Force One.  They're built from the ground up, even using different alloys than a production 747.  Of course, it's possible that the Qatari's ordered it that way for their ruling family.  Nothing but the best...  Heck, it may be better than a US gub'ment specked AF1.

 

I don't have a dog in this fight. I could see it going many different ways.  But I'm not all up in arms, given how many freebies the US taxpayers have paid for around the world.  Including a lot more than $400 million of free airplanes.  Maybe it's time we got some back...  Call it a modest "thank you" for spending $billions keeping the sea lanes open for their oil.

 

And I am glad to see Boeing feel the pressure and shame, so maybe they'll get their house in order and start delivering stuff on time and not stuff that falls out of the sky.

 

 

Retrofitting a 747 into Air Force One would cost at least $400 million, how would DOGE like that?

[Negita43]

What about the security implications?

[impulse]

14 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

Retrofitting a 747 into Air Force One would cost at least $400 million, how would DOGE like that?

 

No clue here...  Call Big Balls and ask.

 

But given that it was custom built for Qatari royals, I suspect it's already got a lot of the bells and whistles.

 

BTW, Boeing agreed to $3.9 billion for 2 of them, so bringing one in for $400 million of modifications seems like quite the deal.  Even to Boeing, who is claiming to be losing a few $billion since it was a fixed price contract.  They may be real happy they don't have to produce the 2nd at such a loss.

 

Air Force One debacle: Boeing has now lost more than $1 billion on each of the president’s two new jets | CNN Business

 

[Jingthing]

The most corrupt "president" in American history (it's not even close) strikes again.