Backstory: How Trump got a free "palace in the sky"
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ABC News reports this is the 13-year-old Boeing aircraft being offered by Qatar. It's shown here when President Trump toured it in West Palm Beach, Fla., in February. Photo: Ben Curtis/AP
The U.S. and Qatar were bargaining over the price for a "palace in the sky" Boeing 747-8 to be used as the new Air Force One — and Qatar "came back and said: 'We'll just gift it. It's OK,'" a top administration source tells Axios.
- "And it's gifted to the people of the United States, gifted to the Department of Defense," the source added. "And it's supposed to be ready by the end of the year."
Why it matters: Qatar's royal family plans to donate the luxury jumbo jet to the Defense Department, then it'll be transferred to President Trump's presidential library when he leaves office — one of the biggest foreign gifts ever given to the U.S., ABC News scooped and the N.Y. Times confirmed.
- Democrats say that such a transfer would have to be approved by Congress.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that "any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws."
Behind the scenes: The White House was looking for a quick successor to the specially configured Boeing 747-200Bs that are the iconic presidential aircraft, which have been in service 30+ years. (The radio call sign is "Air Force One" for any Air Force plane with the president aboard.) Two replacements are being built by Boeing but are long delayed.
- The first of the current planes was delivered in 1990. One or the other is frequently out for maintenance, and a replacement from Boeing isn't expected until at least 2027.
- "So that's what we got," the source said. "And nobody's happy with that. It isn't Donald Trump being a diva. Nobody's happy with that."
The backstory: "So when they were searching for a plane," the source continued, "the emir of Qatar raised his hand and said: 'I got a plane for sale.' And so we've toured it. It came to Palm Beach [in February, shown in the photo above]. We toured it. It's perfect in every way because it was designed for a head of state."
- "So it's got all the right configurations," the source continued. "It's a little bit bigger. It's got two floors." (The Air Force One planes currently also have two floors, but the top is mostly avionics.)
- "This has a usable area and two bedrooms, not one. They're small, but it's perfect for a head of state."
What they're saying: Qatar's media attaché to the U.S., Ali Al-Ansari, said in a statement to Axios the "possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar's Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made."
Qatar's plane is said to be parked in San Antonio. The emir of Qatar is a buddy of Steve Witkoff, U.S. special presidential envoy to the Middle East.
- "That's how they happened to know we were looking for a plane," the source said.
Go deeper ... "Scoop: Dem seeks probe into reports Qatar plans to gift plane to Trump," by Axios' Andrew Solender.
