Pentagon formally accepts $400 million ‘palace in the sky’ jet from Qatar, preps it for Trump
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has formally accepted a controversial Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family and directed his team to begin tuning up the “flying palace” for President Trump to use as a temporary Air Force One.
Once the upgrades are completed, Trump, 78, plans to use the extravagant plane as his official presidential jet until Boeing delivers the first of two presidential aircraft currently under construction.
“The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told The Post in a statement.
“The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States. For additional information, we refer you to the United States Air Force.”
Trump drew bipartisan criticism over his plans to accept the swanky plane from Qatar, with some critics saying the move ran afoul of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause barring officeholders from receiving gifts from foreign states without congressional approval.
Others noted Doha’s tangled ties to Islamic terror groups like Hamas and even raised the possibility the plane could be bugged.
“If we can get a 747, as a contribution to our Defense Department to use a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture,” Trump said last week in defense of the gift.
“Now I could be a stupid person an say, ‘Oh no, we don’t want a free plane.’”
“We give free things out. We’ll take one too, and it helps us out. Because, again, we’re talking about, we have 40-year-old aircraft.”
But even conservatives and other supporters of the 45th and 47th president took issue with the decision to accept the nine-figure gift.
“I think the president would agree that we’ve got to do a careful check for security concerns, but beyond that, it’s his decision,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). told reporters last week.
“I think the intent of the emoluments clause is that you don’t get personal gifts for personal use and all that. This is an official aircraft intended for that purpose.”
Others were more forceful.
“I think if we switched the names to Hunter Biden and Joe Biden, we’d all be freaking out on the right,” conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro admitted.
“President Trump promised to drain the swamp. This is not, in fact, draining the swamp.”
“I’m not flying on a Qatari plane,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) flatly told The Hill.
“They support Hamas. I don’t know how you make it safe.”
“It would be better if Air Force One were a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America,” agreed Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
“I also think the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” May13.
“We’ll see how this issue plays out, but I certainly have concerns.”
Air Force One is currently comprised of two Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets, which have been in operation since the 1990s.
During his first term, Trump’s team awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract in 2018 to manufacture two new presidential planes.
Trump frequently boasted about his personal involvement in negotiations and paint design.
But that project is not set to be completed until 2029 following a series of delays and setbacks.
Originally, the planes were scheduled for delivery in 2024.
Qatar’s royal family has been trying to sell the “flying palace” since 2020, according to listings.
In 2019, it was estimated that the VIP version of that plane cost an eye-bulging $23,000 an hour to run, Corporate Jet Investor reported.
Trump visited Qatar last week as part of his three-nation swing through the Middle East, and the president has said he wants to have the jumbo jet ready by the fall.
Earlier this year, the administration had defense contractor L3Harris examine the feasibility of tuning up the luxurious aircraft for presidential travel.
Air Force One jets must be equipped with state-of-the-art defensive and communications systems.
Rumors have swirled that after his presidency, the aircraft could be transferred to Trump’s presidential library.
