The family business · Second term · № 49
Pentagon accepts Boeing 747-8 from Qatar for Trump's use as Air Force One
“So I think it's a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer.”
- Date
- , Remarks to reporters in the Roosevelt Room, May 12, 2025; acceptance announced by the Pentagon on May 21, 2025
- Subject
- Qatar
- Benefit
- Gifts and payments
- Government
- Qatar
- Beneficiary
- Donald Trump (aircraft for presidential use; reported plan to transfer it to his presidential library foundation)
- Amount
- about $400 million (estimated value)
- Topic
- Ethics & conflicts
- Era
- Second term
What happened
ABC News reported on May 11, 2025 that the administration was preparing to accept a Boeing 747-8 from Qatar's royal family for use as Air Force One, with ownership to pass to the Trump presidential library foundation no later than January 1, 2029; aviation industry experts cited by ABC put its value at about $400 million. The Pentagon said on May 21, 2025 that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had accepted the aircraft "in accordance with all federal rules and regulations." Trump said on May 12 that the plane would go directly to his library after he left office and that he would not use it, and wrote on May 13 that it was being given to the Air Force and Defense Department, "NOT TO ME!" ABC reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the White House counsel concluded the arrangement was legally permissible and did not violate the emoluments clause; Democratic lawmakers said it required the consent of Congress. A memorandum of understanding signed in July 2025 and reviewed by ABC called the donation unconditional and a "bona fide gift" and did not stipulate what happens to the aircraft after Trump leaves office. On September 29, 2025 Trump signed Executive Order 14353, which states that the United States will regard an armed attack on Qatar as a threat to its own peace and security. Trump unveiled the modified jet at Joint Base Andrews on June 19, 2026.
Sources
- Trump administration poised to accept 'palace in the sky' as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources
- Pentagon says it has accepted Qatar's gift of a luxury megajet for Trump's use
- Remarks on Signing an Executive Order on Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients and an Exchange With Reporters
- Donald J. Trump: "The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of D..."
- US accepts 'unconditional donation' of Qatari jet, cost of retrofitting is classified: Sources
- 'World's most luxurious plane': Trump unveils Qatari-donated 747 Air Force One
- Executive Order 14353—Assuring the Security of the State of Qatar
- Qatar: Freedom in the World 2025 Country Report