President Donald Trump thinks it would be “stupid” to turn down a free airplane from Qatar. However, some experts have already warned that the plane could end up costing billions to retrofit and maintain.
Former Air Force acquisitions chief Andrew Hunter said that sweeping the aircraft for what POLITICO called “software modifications or embedded foreign tech” alone could cost in the tens of millions of dollars. Basically, the plane would need to be torn apart and rebuilt to meet the standards to be an Air Force One plane.
Additionally, a 2021 internal Pentagon estimate cited by POLITICO said that VC-25B military Boeing aircraft with Air Force One specs cost $2.5 billion and “$7.7 billion in projected long-term operations and support costs over 30 years.”
“This gift could become a very expensive asset to own and operate,” Hunter explained. “You might even ask why Qatar no longer wants the aircraft. And the answer may be that it’s too expensive for them to maintain.”
Discussion of the plane was sparked Sunday, when ABC News reported that the Trump administration was “preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar,” known as the “palace in the sky.” It said the gift might be the most valuable ever extended to the U.S. by a foreign government with a $400 million estimated price tag, according to the Associated Press.
“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,” Trump told reporters Monday, per the AP. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”
Trump is traveling in the Middle East this week and was in Saudi Arabia as of Tuesday. A press release from the White House said that Trump announced $600-billion commitment to invest in the U.S. that day. He’s expected to visit Qatar this week as well.
News of the potential gift was met with nearly immediate criticism. The Democratic National Committee issued a Sunday press release that said: “While working families brace for higher costs and empty shelves, Trump is still focusing on enriching himself and his billionaire backers.”
Axios reported that Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote to the U.S.
Government Accountability Office, the acting Department of Defense inspector general and the Office of Government Ethics requesting a probe into the matter. That outlet also provided a letter from the lawmaker.
According to POLITICO, even members of Trump’s own party bristled at the news. It said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters there were “lots of issues associated with that offer which I think need to be further talked about.”
U.S. News & World Report reported this week on concerns that accepting such a gift isn’t legal.
“There are constitutional restrictions on “emoluments” – essentially a fancy word for gift,” said the outlet. At the same time, it said there are also a loophole for donations for presidential libraries.
On the other hand, administration officials have argued that two current Air Force One aircraft are aging and getting harder to maintain.
They said that a third plane could help fill the maintenance schedule gap.
ABC News’ report said that the plane would be available for Trump to use as Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office and then the ownership would be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, citing sources familiar with the proposed arrangement. It also said that Attorney General Pam Bondi – who was formerly a registered lobbyist for Qatar, according to Semafor – said that the deal would violate neither laws against bribery nor the emoluments clause.
“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA,” said Trump of the offer in a Sunday Truth Social post.