Pentagon officially accepts gift of Air Force One from Qatar

The US Defense Department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use as President Donald Trump’s new Air Force One plane.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted the gift of a luxury Boeing 747 jet offered by Qatar during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East last week. The aircraft will be used as Air Force One, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

The Defense Department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. He added that the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”

The 747 jet is worth an estimated $400 million.

The gift raises legal and security questions, including the issue of whether it is proper for the president to receive such gifts from foreign governments and whether using a plane poses a significant security risk, given Qatar’s record of sheltering Hamas leaders and funding terrorism.

Qatar has dismissed concerns about the gift, and Trump said it would be “stupid” not to accept the plane.

After early reports of the gift from the Qatar royal family, Qatari officials downplayed the rumors.

Last week, Ali Al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari government in the US, dismissed the claim and described the ABC News report as “inaccurate,” adding that no final decision had been made concerning the gift.

“The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” Al-Ansari told Politico, the US digital newspaper.

Democratic politicians are critical of the notion of Trump receiving the plane, and said he should be barred from receiving an extravagant gift from a foreign power, alleging it amounts to bribery.

“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted. “It’s not just bribery; it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.”

California Senator Adam Schiff, a prominent Trump critic, called the gift a “brazen” example of corruption.

Following pushback from Democrats, Trump took to Truth Social to defend receiving the gift.

“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. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA.”