In May 2025, the nation of Qatar gave the Department of Defense a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to be remodeled into a new Air Force One.

Trump’s plan to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar has ignited a full-blown firestorm among Democrats in Congress

Trump said accepting a luxury 747 from Qatar is a no-brainer. But critics say the plan threatens to turn a symbol of American power into a collection of legal and counterintelligence concerns.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and GOP firebrand senators are among those voicing discomfort with the deal.

The president boasts the plane, which will be used as Air Force One until he leaves office, is a "gift, free of charge," but Democrats fear it is "bribery."

With the news that the royal family of Qatar is gifting a $400 million airliner to the Trump administration to use as a new Air Force One, it has become clear to me that if Donald Trump were a country, he’d be Qatar.

President Donald Trump said a luxury jet being offered by the government of Qatar would be used as a temporary Air Force One, indicating an intention to accept a gift that has sparked ethical and security concerns in Washington.

President Donald Trump’s openness to accepting a luxury jet from Qatar triggered sharp criticism from legal experts, who cited potential violations of the Constitution’s foreign emoluments clause. Trump has defended the reported gift as “a gesture of good faith,