Trump claims that the aircraft is “not for him.” Credit: Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock.com
During a tour of the Middle East, Donald Trump is able to return home with a diplomatic handshake and a sound bit. He could be a recipient of a luxury aircraft. Qatar is reportedly preparing to present the Boeing 747-8 to the president, according to ABC News. It is worth more than $400 million, a model that was frequently discovered in Mallorca and has been nicknamed “Flying Palace.”
The gorgeous Boeing 747-800 could become the new “Air Force One” that last landed at Parma Airport in 2022.
Trump appeared to be checking the news shortly after the report, taking him to his platform, the Truth Social, and boasting the plane as a “free” gift to the Department of Defense. “It drives crooked Democrats into insanity,” he wrote, dismissing concerns about the costs and accusations of fraud as a typical partisan attack. He claimed that the donation was part of a “very public and transparent transaction.”
But critics raised the question: is this aircraft really necessary?
Look closely at aircraft
Long known as the “jumbo jet”, the Boeing 747 has seen numerous upgrades since its first commercial flight in 1969. The 747-8, unveiled in 2005, is the sixth iteration of the model and is one of the largest passenger aircraft in the world, just after the Boeing 777-9x. This is the same aircraft owned by Qatar province and is reportedly assigned to Trump.
However, experts quickly pointed out that owning an aircraft is not suitable for presidential use. “What matters is the internals,” said Kevin Buckley, a former US Air Force official who oversaw the Air Force’s replacement program. “Presidential aircraft are strengthened, safe and designed to survive the worst-case scenario.”
To meet these criteria, it includes planes, advanced avionics, secure communication systems, defense mechanisms, electromagnetic shields (self-measures, advanced avionics), which must be completely peeled off and reconstructed. As reported by the New York Times, such transformations can take years rather than months. That raises the question: Wouldn’t it be cheaper to maintain a new presidential jet?
Legality Behind the Gesture
Trump claims that the aircraft is “not for him” rather for the Pentagon, but reports show that Jet will ultimately be donated to his presidential library in 2029 before the end of his term.
The plan has raised eyebrows among Democrats, with some people questioning the legality of the move and calling for Congress scrutiny. Nevertheless, an anonymous source told ABC News that the Trump administration had already deemed gross donations legally acceptable.
The network also reported that legal counsel Pam Bondi has issued a memo confirming that Qatar is legally permitted to donate aircraft on the condition that it is transferred to Trump’s library before its term ends.
The legal path appears to be clear, but the ethical implications of such gifts remain hotly debated.
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