Qatar Royal Family gifts President Donald Trump with luxury Boeing 747-8 Jumbo Jet, for Air force One duties
President Donald Trump is set to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family.
The bird is a gift from Doha which is meant to serve as the new Air Force One ride.
This may be the most valuable foreign donation ever received by the United States government.
The Boeing 747-8 is valued at approximately USD 400 million.
The plan, reported by ABC News and confirmed by multiple sources, includes using the 13-year-old aircraft—described as a “flying palace”—for presidential travel until shortly before Trump leaves office in January 2029, after which ownership will transfer to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation.
The gift is expected to be announced during Trump’s visit to Qatar this week, part of his first foreign trip of his second term, which also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump toured the opulent jet in February 2025 at West Palm Beach International Airport, expressing frustration with Boeing’s delays in delivering two new Air Force One jets, originally contracted in 2018 for USD 3.9 billion but now projected for delivery in 2027 and 2028 due to over USD 2 billion in cost overruns.
The U.S. Air Force will modify the Qatari jet, with contractor L3Harris tasked to retrofit it with secure communications and other systems, though it will lack advanced features like air-to-air refueling and robust antimissile defenses found in the current VC-25A fleet.
The arrangement, approved by Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Counsel David Warrington, is deemed legal as the plane is gifted to the Air Force, not Trump personally, and does not violate the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which prohibits federal officials from accepting foreign gifts without congressional consent.
Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and ethics groups, have raised alarms over potential conflicts of interest, given the Trump Organization’s growing business ties in Qatar, including a luxury golf resort deal with Qatari Diar, a state-backed real estate firm.
Social media posts reflect public skepticism, with some labeling the gift “bribery in broad daylight” and questioning its alignment with Trump’s “America First” stance.
Others defend it as a diplomatic move to strengthen U.S.-Qatar relations.
The plan addresses Trump’s desire for a modern Air Force One amid Boeing’s delays, which he has publicly criticized, even enlisting Elon Musk to expedite the original contract.
However, the Qatari jet’s limited capabilities and the ethical concerns surrounding its post-presidency transfer to Trump’s foundation have fueled debate about transparency and foreign influence.