Trump wants to accept a Qatari jet for Air Force One. Here are the facts

David Michael Lamb · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 1:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

U.S. President Donald Trump's connection to judge a Qatari pitchy arsenic an Air Force One replacement has raised a agelong database of legal, ethical and method questions.

Any woody to judge the level has not been finalized, but since the play Trump has been adamant that helium wants it. "They're giving america a escaped jet," helium said, adding that lone "a anserine person" would accidental no.

Here are the facts arsenic it stands now.

What's this Qatari level like?

It's a Boeing 747 specially built arsenic a backstage pitchy 13 years ago. It serves arsenic portion of a fleet of jets Qatar maintains for usage by its royal family. Various media outlets person described it arsenic "a flying palace," "super luxury," and "opulently configured."

It has been wide quoted arsenic being worthy $400 cardinal US but it's not wide wherever that fig comes from, and immoderate person said its worth is less. But there's nary uncertainty this is simply a lavishly outfitted level that's worthy a batch of money.

Does the U.S. person rules astir this?

It does, but determination is fierce statement implicit how, and whether, they apply.

The U.S. Constitution prohibits the president from accepting gifts oregon "emoluments" from foreigners, unless Congress says it's OK. (An emolument is simply a outgo for services.) Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said it would beryllium blatantly unconstitutional for Trump to judge the plane. "The founding fathers knew it was evil for members of Congress oregon the president to judge a acquisition from a overseas government."

However, the Trump medication and Qatar are not describing it arsenic a gift.

Qatar calls it a "loan" to the U.S. authorities portion Trump is president. And Attorney General Pam Bondi said accepting the level is ineligible due to the fact that it volition beryllium handed implicit to Trump's statesmanlike room earlier his word ends. By doing that, Trump tin assertion that it benefits the authorities successful the abbreviated word (not him personally), and is past owned by his room aft (not him).

As acold arsenic the room is concerned, this has happened before. Ronald Reagan's room includes an Air Force One Pavilion, wherever you tin locomotion done the craft (it's connected imperishable indebtedness from the Defence Department). Also, Richard Nixon's room has his Marine One helicopter.

And yet, adjacent immoderate of Trump's astir loyal supporters person urged him not to bash it, astatine slightest successful portion due to the fact that it's coming from Qatar. "Taking sacks of goodies from radical who enactment Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera, each the rest, that's not America First," said podcaster Ben Shapiro.

So, ethical and ineligible issues aside, this level is bully to go?

In short, no. If it is delivered, it would instrumentality acold much than a overgarment occupation to marque this an operational portion of the Air Force One fleet.

Military and quality experts arsenic good arsenic politicians accidental the level would person to beryllium disassembled down to its constituent parts and checked for bugs and different threats. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said it "poses important espionage and surveillance problems."

It would besides request to beryllium retrofitted with unafraid communications systems, precocious information features and adjacent weapons. Cost estimates for this scope from the hundreds of millions up to a cardinal dollars. Few deliberation it could beryllium done quickly.

WATCH | The problems with accepting a 'free jet':

The occupation with the existent Air Force One

Technically, immoderate level the president flies connected is considered Air Force One, but astatine the infinitesimal determination are 2 Boeing 747s that service the relation exclusively. They went into work successful 1990 and 1991. So they're beauteous old.

The planes inactive work, obviously, and they are acold antithetic from immoderate commercialized aircraft. According to the White House, they tin refuel successful midair similar galore subject planes, meaning they theoretically tin enactment airborne for an unlimited magnitude of time.

Onboard determination are each the unafraid communications a president needs, arsenic good arsenic a agelong database of different information features, including physics anti-jamming instrumentality and weapons systems, immoderate of which are believed to beryllium secret. There's a ample office, chamber and different suites that full 4,000 quadrate feet. It has a aesculapian installation that tin beryllium utilized arsenic an operating room.

The U.S. authorities has agelong acknowledged that the planes yet request to beryllium replaced owed to their age. 

The caller ones aren't ready

Boeing was contracted successful 2018 to present caller Air Force One planes for transportation successful December 2024. That ne'er happened. Boeing blames proviso concatenation issues (some companies that marque parts person gone retired of business), changes made to the requirements of the planes and the precocious outgo of doing the work. It agreed to a terms of $3.9 cardinal but says it has already spent billions much than that. 

The institution said earlier this twelvemonth it was trying to velocity up delivery, but authorities officials person acknowledged it won't hap until astatine slightest 2029, possibly adjacent later. In different words, not until Trump's word is over.

This has infuriated the president and prompted him to look elsewhere to get a replacement sooner.