New details emerged on Sunday morning, revealing that the Trump administration could soon receive one of the most valuable gifts from a foreign government: a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family. The 747 will be retrofitted with communications systems and other equipment to transform into Air Force One.
ABC News cited people familiar with the transfer as saying that the royal family of Qatar’s jumbo jet gift will be announced next week when President Trump visits Qatar for his Middle East tour—the first major tour of his second term. The tour will concentrate on business deals in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Sources said the 747 will be transferred to the United States Air Force to meet the technical specifications required to fly the president and supporting staff members.
For months, President Trump has been overly frustrated with delays in Boeing’s new Air Force One production timeline.
Earlier this month, a Wall Street Journal report said the president commissioned defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to convert the luxury 747 into Air Force One, with a completion timeline by fall of this year.
Frustrated With Boeing, Trump Reportedly Turns To L3Harris For “Interim” Air Force One Jet https://t.co/mI3uPaFKOM
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) May 2, 2025
In February, FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence confirmed that Boeing had suffered global supply chain snarls that changed project timings and delayed the completion date to 2029.
White House communications director Steven Cheung told FOX Business then: “It is ridiculous that the delivery of a new Air Force One airplane has been delayed for such a long time.”
Also in February, the president toured the Qatari 747 at West Palm Beach International Airport and told reporters he was “not happy” with Boeing.
Considering that the U.S. president is not allowed to receive gifts from foreign governments, the 747 jet will be transferred to the USAF (U.S. Gov’t), not Trump personally. Yet we’re likely going to see a news cycle filled with misinformation and disinformation from deranged leftist journalists who claim this was a personal gift.
ABC quoted sources that provided more color on the legality behind the gift:
Anticipating those questions, sources told ABC News that lawyers for the White House counsel’s office and the Department of Justice drafted an analysis for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth concluding that is legal for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift and later turn it over to the Trump library, and that it does not violate laws against bribery or the Constitution’s prohibition (the emoluments clause) of any U.S. government official accepting gifts “from any King, Prince or foreign State.”
Sources told ABC News that Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump’s top White House lawyer David Warrington concluded it would be “legally permissible” for the donation of the aircraft to be conditioned on transferring its ownership to Trump’s presidential library before the end of his term, according to sources familiar with their determination.
The sources said Bondi provided a legal memorandum addressed to the White House counsel’s office last week after Warrington asked her for advice on the legality of the Pentagon accepting such a donation.
. . .
The plane will then be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation no later than Jan. 1, 2029, and any costs relating to its transfer will be paid for by the U.S. Air Force, the sources told ABC News.
The Qataris certainly outdid themselves ahead of welcoming the president. So, what will the Saudis and Emiratis offer? We suspect these countries will try to outdo one another when making deals with the president next week.
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