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Trump Set to Accept Jet from Qatar's Royal Family for Possible Use as Air Force One
President Donald Trump is set to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the royal family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this week. The plane will be converted into a potential presidential aircraft, and U.S. officials could make it suitable for use as Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029.
Trump will reportedly use the plane as a new version of Air Force One until then, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library. The gift is expected to be announced during Trump's trip, which also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Qatari government did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night. Administration officials have prepared an analysis arguing that accepting such a large gift from a foreign government would be legal, citing the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
Trump intends to convert the plane into one he can fly on as president, with the Air Force planning to add secure communications and other classified elements to it. However, it will have more limited capabilities than the existing planes that were built to serve as Air Force One.
A former U.S. official who was briefed about the plane said that while it would be possible to quickly add some countermeasures and communications systems to the Qatari plane, it would still be less capable than the existing Air Force One aircraft or long-delayed replacements.
Neither the Qatari plane nor the upcoming VC-25B aircraft will have the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the current VC-25A aircraft, which is the one the president currently flies on. Two Air Force One planes exist and are more than 30 years old, while Boeing Inc. has the contract to produce updated versions, but delivery has been delayed.
Trump's family business, the Trump Organization, has vast and growing interests in the Middle East, including a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country’s sovereign wealth fund.
Administration officials have brushed off concerns about the president's policy interests blurring with his family's business profits, noting that Trump's assets are in a trust managed by his children and that a voluntary ethics agreement bars the company from striking deals directly with foreign governments.