Like It Or Not, The Pentagon Has Officially Accepted The "Palace In The Sky" Luxury Jet From Qatar For Trump's Use During And After His Presidency

Others, however, person said Trump’s acceptance of an craft that has been called a “palace successful the sky” is simply a usurpation of the Constitution’s prohibition connected overseas gifts. Democrats person been agreed successful outrage, and adjacent immoderate of the Republican president’s GOP allies successful Congress person expressed concerns.

They besides person noted the request to retrofit the level to conscionable information requirements, which would beryllium costly and instrumentality time.

“Far from redeeming money, this unconstitutional enactment volition not lone outgo our federation its dignity, but it volition unit taxpayers to discarded implicit 1 cardinal successful payer dollars to overhaul this peculiar craft erstwhile we presently person not one, but 2 afloat operational and afloat susceptible Air Force One aircraft,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.

She said during a proceeding Tuesday that it is simply a “dangerous people of action” for the U.S. to judge the craft from the Qatari ruling family.

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told senators that Hegseth has ordered the work to commencement readying however to update it to conscionable needed standards and acknowledged that the level volition necessitate “significant” modifications.

The Air Force, successful a statement, said it is preparing to grant a declaration to modify a Boeing 747 aircraft, but that immoderate details are classified.

Trump was asked astir the determination Wednesday portion helium was gathering successful the Oval Office with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” Trump said, bristling astatine being questioned astir the acquisition by a reporter.

Trump said it was fixed “not to me, to the United States Air Force, truthful they could assistance america out” and noted that “Boeing’s a small spot late, unfortunately.”

Ramaphosa, who was sitting adjacent to Trump successful the Oval Office and has been moving to repair his narration with the president, said, “I’m atrocious I don’t person a level to springiness you.”

“If your state was offering the United States Air Force a plane, I would instrumentality it,” Trump said.

Trump has presented nary nationalist information imperative for a swift upgrade alternatively than waiting for Boeing to decorativeness caller Air Force One jets that person been successful the works for years.

He has tried to tamp down immoderate of the absorption by saying helium wouldn’t alert astir successful the craft erstwhile his word ends. Instead, helium said, the level would beryllium donated to a aboriginal statesmanlike library, akin to however the Boeing 707 utilized by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and enactment connected show arsenic a depository piece.

Associated Press writers Tara Copp and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

This nonfiction primitively appeared successful HuffPost.