The Trump administration was set to accept a luxury Boeing aircraft as a gift from Qatar’s royal family, U.S. media reported on Sunday.
The aircraft was to be retrofitted for use as Air Force One, news outlets, including broadcaster ABC, reported.
The ownership of the aircraft would then be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation after the U.S. president leaves office, ABC reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the proposed arrangement.
This would be a highly unusual move.
The White House has not commented on the possible plans.
According to the reports, the aircraft is a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet.
ABC cited aviation experts as saying that the 13-year-old aircraft would have a value of 400 million dollars.
It was not counting the cost of additional features that would be required to properly secure the plane for transporting the president safely.
U.S. President Donald Trump later appeared to confirm the reports in a post on his Truth Social platform, though he did not mention Qatar.
Trump wrote that the “Crooked Democrats’’ were bothered by the fact that the U.S. Defence Department was being given a Boeing 747 free of charge to replace the old Air Force One.
“They insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,’’ the U.S. president added.
“Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!’’ Trump continued.
Trump planned to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from Tuesday to Thursday.
The plan, which could be announced during Trump’s stay in Qatar, would raise legal and ethical questions, according to U.S. media.
According to the ABC report, various government legal departments have reviewed the plan and approved it.
The two Air Force One jets currently in use, two converted Boeing 747-200B, have been in service since the 1990s.
They were specially tailored to the needs of the U.S. president, have state-of-the-art communication technology as well as anti-missile devices and can be refuelled in mid-air.
Trump ordered two new aircraft from Boeing during his first term in office.
After years of delays and rising costs, it was unclear whether at least one of the two 747 aircraft ordered would be delivered during Trump’s term in office, set to end in 2029. (dpa/NAN)
