Qatar plans to gift former U.S. President Donald Trump an elite Boeing 747-8, valued at around $400 million. According to The New York Times, citing a senior U.S. official, the American administration has already agreed to accept the gift. This could become the most expensive gift ever given to a U.S. official.
Sources indicate that the plane will be retrofitted for Trump’s needs and can be used as an unofficial presidential aircraft. After the end of Trump’s political career, the plane is planned to be transferred to his presidential library, allowing him continued access to the aircraft.
Such a deal raises significant ethical concerns, given its scale and the possibility of personal use of the plane after Trump leaves office. Initially, Qatar had proposed gifting the plane directly to Trump’s library, but this approach was deemed to contradict the U.S. Constitution. However, White House lawyers did not see any legal violations in the current structure of the gift.
This arrangement partly mirrors the example set by Ronald Reagan, whose presidential plane was transferred to his library as a display after being decommissioned. However, in Trump’s case, the plane is likely to continue being used for its intended purpose.
It’s also worth noting that Trump already owns a private plane, a Boeing 757 known as Trump Force One, which he bought in 2011. The new jet from Qatar will be considerably more modern.
An official announcement regarding the gift is expected in the coming days, during Trump’s visit to the Gulf States.
