Trump Accepts $400 Million Qatar Jet as New Air Force One
Updated
Updated · Financial Times · Jun 19
Trump Accepts $400 Million Qatar Jet as New Air Force One
3 articles · Updated · Financial Times · Jun 19
Summary
$400 million is the value Democrats cite as Trump formally accepted Qatar’s jumbo jet to enter service as Air Force One, despite ethics concerns over taking a foreign gift.
Trump said the aircraft solves a practical problem because the current presidential plane is decades old and Boeing’s replacement has been delayed for years.
At Joint Base Andrews, he praised the jet’s luxury fit-out, said it would carry Starlink, and announced it would lead a July 4 Washington flyover.
The acceptance sharpens conflict-of-interest scrutiny because Trump has said the plane would go to his presidential library after he leaves office, while his family business already struck a deal with a Qatari state-owned company.