Trump reportedly is set to accept a jet from Qatar's royal family for possible use as Air Force One

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump reportedly is acceptable to judge a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo pitchy arsenic a acquisition from the royal household of Qatar during his travel to the Middle East this coming week, and U.S. officials could person the level into a imaginable statesmanlike aircraft.

ABC News reported that Trump volition usage the level arsenic a caller mentation of Air Force One until soon earlier helium leaves bureau successful January 2029, erstwhile ownership volition beryllium transferred to the instauration overseeing his yet-to-be-built statesmanlike library.

The acquisition is expected to beryllium announced erstwhile Trump visits Qatar arsenic portion of a travel that besides includes stops successful Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the archetypal extended overseas question of his 2nd term.

Administration officials, anticipating questions astir the president accepting specified a ample acquisition from a overseas government, person prepared an investigation arguing that doing truthful would beryllium legal, according to ABC. The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, Article I, Section 9, Clause 8, bars anyone holding authorities bureau from accepting immoderate present, emolument, bureau oregon rubric from immoderate “King, Prince, oregon overseas State,” without legislature consent.

Trump intends to person the Qatari craft into a level helium tin alert connected arsenic president, with the Air Force readying to adhd unafraid communications and different classified elements to it.

But it volition inactive person much constricted capabilities than the existing planes that were built to service arsenic Air Force One, arsenic good arsenic 2 different craft presently nether construction, according to a erstwhile U.S. authoritative who was briefed astir the level and spoke Sunday connected the information of anonymity to sermon plans that person not yet been made public.

The existing planes utilized arsenic Air Force One are heavy modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a scope of contingencies, including radiation shielding and antimissile technology. They besides see a assortment of communications systems to let the president to stay successful interaction with the subject and contented orders from anyplace successful the world.

The authoritative told The Associated Press that it would beryllium imaginable to rapidly adhd immoderate countermeasures and communications systems to the Qatari plane, but that it would beryllium little susceptible than the existing Air Force One craft oregon long-delayed replacements.

Neither the Qatari level nor the upcoming VC-25B craft volition person the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the existent VC-25A aircraft, which is the 1 the president presently flies on, the authoritative said.

Air Force One is simply a modified Boeing 747. Two beryllium and the president flies connected both, which are much than 30 years old. Boeing Inc. has the declaration to nutrient updated versions, but transportation has been delayed portion the institution has lost billions of dollars connected the project.

Delivery has been pushed to immoderate clip successful 2027 for the archetypal level and successful 2028 — Trump’s last afloat twelvemonth successful bureau — for the second.

ABC said the caller level is akin to a 13-year-old Boeing craft Trump toured successful February, portion it was parked astatine Palm Beach International Airport and helium was spending the play astatine his Mar-a-Lago club.

Trump's household business, the Trump Organization, which is present mostly tally by his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has immense and increasing interests successful the Middle East. That includes a new woody to build a luxury play edifice successful Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a existent property institution backed by that country’s sovereign wealthiness fund.

Administration officials person brushed disconnected concerns astir the president’s argumentation interests blurring with family's concern profits. They enactment that Trump's assets are successful a spot managed by his children and that a voluntary morals statement released by the Trump Organization successful January bars the institution from striking deals straight with overseas governments.

But that aforesaid statement allows deals with backstage companies abroad. That is simply a departure from Trump’s archetypal term, erstwhile the enactment released an ethics pact prohibiting some overseas authorities and overseas institution deals.

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt, erstwhile asked Friday if the president during his upcoming travel mightiness conscionable with radical ties to his family’s business, said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Trump "is doing thing for his ain benefit.”

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.