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Qatar-Gifted Air Force One Delivery Expected by Summer 2026

Is Qatar's $400M jet a practical solution to outdated planes or a constitutional violation disguised as a gift?

Published 1 day ago

Qatar-Gifted Air Force One Delivery Expected by Summer 2026

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Above: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani meets with Donald Trump aboard Air Force One in Doha, on Oct. 25, 2025. Image credit: Amiri Diwan of the State of Qatar/Handout/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

Accepting Qatar's $400 million luxury jet makes practical sense when Boeing has failed to deliver the new Air Force One fleet on time and the current aircraft are nearly 40 years old. The plane would be given to the Department of Defense as a gesture of gratitude for the U.S. protection of Qatar, not to any individual, so no constitutional violation would apply. President Trump shouldn’t reject a free, state-of-the-art aircraft when taxpayers would otherwise absorb enormous costs and delays to keep aging planes operational.

The Washington Examiner FOX News

Anti-Trump narrative

This $400 million jet represents the most valuable gift ever given to the U.S. by a foreign government, raising concerns about corruption and influence peddling, as Trump’s family simultaneously pursues billion-dollar deals across the Gulf. The plane will ultimately land in Trump’s personal presidential library, meaning a foreign monarchy is effectively buying the president a private jet. Constitutional limits on foreign gifts exist precisely to prevent this kind of corruption, and no legal gymnastics can disguise what it is.

Democracy Now The Independent The Daily Beast