Qatar's gift jet to Trump is unsold plane waiting buyer since being put up for sale in 2020, says report

DOHA, QATAR: A luxurious plane, worth millions, offered to President Donald Trump by Qatar is reportedly an unsold one waiting for its buyer for years.

The Boeing 747-8 was previously used by the Qatari royal family. However, in 2020, it was put up for sale, as reported by Newsweek, citing aircraft listings and aviation analysts.

Though the US president has shown interest in accepting the gift because of years-long delay in getting his new Air Force One, critics from both Republican and Democratic parties have expressed their concern.

Critics baffled by Trump's need for Qatar’s gift jet

Critics believe the acceptance of the plane would be unethical as well as unconstitutional.

Norman Eisen, Virginia Canter and Richard W Painter – all former White House legal counsels — shared in a New York Times opinion article, “The American people should make their disgust known: There is no room for this kind of flagrant disregard of the Constitution in the skies above,” as per USA Today.

In a video message, Senator Chris Murray (D-Conn), said, “This cannot be allowed to stand. Our foreign policy cannot simply be a mechanism to make Donald Trump and his family rich.”

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine shared, “The transaction strikes me as being rife with political espionage, ethical and constitutional problems. The plane would have to be thoroughly scrubbed to ensure that listening devices had not been implanted. 

“That would take a great deal of time, to make sure that it meets the security standards that the president needs. Ultimately, I don’t understand why we would pursue this for the new aircraft that the president needs,” she added, as per CNBC.

Qatar’s gift jet requires work worth millions of dollars 

Besides, the plane will reportedly require years of work and millions of dollars to meet Air Force One standards.

As per John Goglia, a former airline mechanic and member of the US National Transportation Safety Board, “Giving the 747-8 to the US would also allow the Qataris to avoid maintenance costs that are only getting higher with the 747 fleet shrinking worldwide and fewer mechanics available who know how to work on them,” as reported by Forbes.

Despite all of these, Trump is very keen on taking Qatar's gift.

Trump says ‘only a FOOL would not accept’ gift jet from Qatar

He posted on his Truth Social page on May 14, “The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!”

“It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive,” he stated.

The 78-year-old then added, “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done. This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” before asserting, “Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country.”