Poison Plane

National Review Online

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

 

When ABC reported that the Trump administration was ready to accept a $400 million luxury 747 jet as a gift from Qatar that would be used as the new Air Force One, many of President Trump’s fiercest social media defenders rushed to declare it fake news. But then Trump himself took to social media to defend the move.

 

The president wrote on Truth Social: “So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA.”

 

Trump has been growing frustrated that Boeing is years behind schedule in manufacturing a new Air Force One, and under the delayed timeline, it won’t be available during his presidency. While Boeing’s manufacturing issues have been well documented and are worthy of criticism, it in no way justifies the brazen decision to take such a lavish gift from a foreign government.

 

For one thing, the plane is a potential security threat, given all of the possible places to hide listening devices within a jumbo jet. Assuming that issue could be dealt with through an extensive security sweep, there are the ethical concerns.

 

Under the U.S. Constitution, the president is prohibited from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State” without congressional approval. The administration is trying to get around this by arguing that the gift is to the Department of Defense, and that after he leaves office the plan is for it to be decommissioned and transferred to Trump’s presidential library. The fact that its ownership will not remain with the U.S. government would seem to cut against Trump’s argument that it isn’t a gift, but even if his lawyers have found a loophole to make it technically legal, it doesn’t mean it is ethical.

 

The whole point of the emoluments clause is to prevent officeholders from being influenced by foreign governments due to personal gain. Trump will clearly gain by having access to a plane that he prefers, and there are plenty of opportunities for conflicts of interest given the key role Qatar is playing in the Middle East.

 

Making matters worse is that Qatar is no friend. Its government funds Al Jazeera, the anti-American propaganda channel. It funneled billions of dollars to Hamas, helping the terrorist group build up the infrastructure that allowed it to carry out the October 7 attacks. After the attacks, Qatar issued a statement calling “Israel alone responsible” for the massacre. For years, it hosted Hamas leaders and refused to use its influence to force the freeing of hostages (the release of American hostage Edan Alexander on Monday at the behest of Qatar demonstrates how much control the government could have exerted all along). Qatar has supported the Houthis for years and allied itself with Iran.

 

There is absolutely nothing good that can come of an American president feeling he owes something to this terrorist-loving government.