President Donald Trump Plans to Accept $400 Million Luxury Jumbo Jet from Qatar as New Air Force One

President Donald Trump has plans to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the royal family of Qatar. He intends to turn this plane into the new Air Force One — the plane that transports the president. 

Aviation experts tell ABC News that the estimated value of the aircraft is about $400 million before the necessary security measures and updates to make the plane suitable to fly as Air Force One. 

President Trump, 78, confirmed his plans in a Truth Social post on Sunday, May 11, calling the plane a “GIFT” and added that it is “FREE OF CHARGE.”

Calling the exchange a “very public and transparent transaction,” Trump noted that the plane will replace the 40-year-old aircraft currently being used as Air Force One. 

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement on the gift to ABC News, saying, “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.”

Trump previously toured the plane in February at the Palm Beach International Airport. At the end of his term, he plans to turn over ownership of the plane to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation. 

The news has triggered several strong reactions from key Democrats, concerned about the White House accepting such an extravagant gift from a foreign power. 

Senator Chuck Schumer posted about the planned exchange on X, writing, “Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar. It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer wrote on X, “Nothing about getting Air Force One from a foreign government feels right. It may be legal, but I wouldn’t do it. Air Force One should be American through and through. It shouldn’t pass through foreign hands and it shouldn’t be a gift from a King. Don’t do it.”