Donald Trump plans to accept the ‘gift’ of a Boeing 747 from the Qatari royals

Air Force One is the Boeing 747 plane used by the President of the United States, specially outfitted with all kinds of security measures. It’s like “the Beast,” which is the armored limousine used by the president. Because AFO and the Beast are vital pieces for how the president travels, they’re always American-made, and the Secret Service works alongside the American manufacturers to customize the security features. Well, not in the Trump era. In the Trump era, Qatar gets to provide their own Boeing to Trump so he can use it at Air Force One.

The Trump administration plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane as a donation from the Qatari royal family that will be upgraded to serve as Air Force One, which would make it one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government, several American officials with knowledge of the matter said.

The plane would then be donated to President Trump’s presidential library when he leaves office, two senior officials said. Such a gift raises the possibility that Mr. Trump would have use of the plane even after his presidency ends.

Mr. Trump confirmed the fact that he anticipates receiving the plane in a post on social media on Sunday evening, after a day of controversy in which even some Republicans privately questioned the wisdom of the plan. Mr. Trump suggested that Democrats were “losers” for questioning the ethics of the move.

“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,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!”

While a Qatari official described the proposal as still under discussion and the White House said that gifts it accepted would be done in full compliance with the law, Democratic lawmakers and good government groups expressed outrage over the substantial ethical issues the plan presented. They cited the intersection of Mr. Trump’s official duties with his business interests in the Middle East, the immense value of the lavishly appointed plane and the assumption that Mr. Trump would have use of it after leaving office. Sold new, a commercial Boeing 747-8 costs in the range of $400 million.

“Even in a presidency defined by grift, this move is shocking,” said Robert Weissman, a co-president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization. “It makes clear that U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump is up for sale.”

ABC News reported Sunday morning that the gift of the plane was to be announced in the coming days as Mr. Trump made the first extended foreign trip of his presidency to three nations in the Middle East, including Qatar. The plan would fulfill the president’s desire for a new Air Force One after repeated delays involving a government contract to Boeing for two new jets to serve that purpose.

[From The NY Times]

My favorite part of this is “the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that!” Yes, “anybody” can pay top dollar for an American-made, American-manufactured plane with extensive security upgrades to protect a POTUS. The reason American taxpayers “pay” top dollar for Air Force One is because AFO is a huge terrorist target and we want to know that no other government or group got their hands on AFO at any point. Like, this isn’t just flagrantly, shockingly and offensively unethical, it’s actually a huge security issue! Not that I actually care about the security issues right now, but still.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.