Democrats and good government advocates say it is unethical and likely unconstitutional for Trump to accept.
The United States is discussing an offer from the royal family of Qatar to supply a luxury jumbo jet for use as a presidential plane.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has signalled that it plans to accept the Boeing 747-8 airliner to serve as a temporary replacement for Air Force One. The news has provoked warnings from critics that accepting the plane would be unethical.
Qatar denied in a statement that the plane would be a gift, saying the transfer of the aircraft for “temporary use” was under discussion.
Spokesperson Ali Al-Ansari said the offer was still under consideration by Qatar’s Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense and “no decision has been made”.
However, in a post on his social media site Truth Social late on Sunday, Trump appeared to confirm that he intends to accept the plane as a gift.
At a cost of about $400m, it would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the US government.
“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,” the Republican president wrote.
Democrats and good government advocates said accepting the plane as a gift would be unethical and likely unconstitutional.
“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democrats in the Senate, wrote on X.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected such claims.
“Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump’s administration is committed to full transparency,” she said.
Trump toured the Qatari-owned 747-8 in February when it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida near his Mar-a-Lago resort.
At the time, the White House said the president did so to get a better understanding of how the updated Air Force One planes would be configured.
Al-Ansari said the proposed arrangement involves Qatar donating the luxury jet to the US government for use as Air Force One during Trump’s presidency.
The aircraft would then be transferred to the Donald J Trump Presidential Library upon his departure from office, according to reports in the US media.
Trump is to visit Qatar during a trip to the Gulf this week. The airplane will not be presented or accepted while Trump is in Qatar.