- The Trump administration has formally accepted a Boeing 747 jet that was gifted by the government of Qatar, the Pentagon said.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the plane “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” spokesman Sean Parnell said.
- President Donald Trump stated his desire to utilize the luxurious private jet as the replacement for Air Force One.
The
Trump
The administration has officially taken delivery of a Boeing 747 aircraft that was presented to the U.S. by the government.
Qatar
On Wednesday, the Pentagon stated this.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accepted the luxury plane “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to .
The Department of Defense will strive to guarantee that the aircraft, which President
Donald Trump
has stated his intention to utilize for the role of the next Air Force One, provided that it meets both “appropriate security protocols” and “functional mission requirements,” according to Parnell.
The declaration solidifies the U.S. government’s determination to seize the aircraft, even though experts have sounded alarms and Democrats have accused them of overreach.
bribery
.
On Wednesday, during his time in the Oval Office, Trump referred to the gift as “a great thing” and mentioned that Qatar provided the aircraft so they could assist us.
These comments were made during a sometimes heated exchange between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding Trump’s baseless assertions about a “genocide” targeting white individuals in South Africa.
“I apologize, but I do not have an airplane to offer you,” Ramaphosa stated at one point.
Boeing has spent years working to convert two 747s into the next Air Force Ones in a deal struck during Trump’s first term as president. But the project is years behind schedule, and the planes may not be ready before the end of Trump’s second term.
Administration officials from the Trump era mentioned earlier this year that the president felt annoyed by the slow progress and was exploring other options. “Unfortunately, Boeing is running behind schedule,” Trump stated on Wednesday.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg
told analysts
on his company’s latest
quarterly earnings call
in April that its Air Force One program is being revised “to allow for an earlier first delivery while maintaining our focus on safety and quality.”
It remains uncertain whether the 13-year-old Qatar Airways jet, estimated to be worth around $400 million, can genuinely provide an immediate solution.
Specialists have indicated that transforming that jet into an Air Force One might
costs taxpayers more than $1 billion
and require many years to finish.
Qatar’s gift has also raised swells of anger from Democrats and other critics, some of whom have condemned the exchange as effectively a
bribe
of a U.S. president.
“This unprecedented action is a stain on the office of the presidency and cannot go unanswered,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Wednesday.
Schumer — who has introduced a bill that would bar any foreign aircraft from being used as Air Force One — vowed to continue holding up
Trump’s political nominees
to the Department of Justice until Americans “get transparency on this shady deal.”
Some even within the Republican party have voiced worries regarding the possible national security threats and additional problems associated with this donation.
“The transaction seems filled with political spying, ethical and constitutional issues,” Senator
Susan Collins
, R-Maine, said Thursday.
But Trump has repeatedly defended accepting the plane, saying it would be “stupid” not to accept a free jet and insisting that it is going to the U.S. government, ”
not to me
.”
—
‘s Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.
