Donald Trump defends possible aircraft gift from Qatar

US President Donald Trump has openly shown himself to accept a luxurious aircraft as a gift from the family of the Emir of Qatar. He spoke of a “very nice gesture” in the gift. Several US media reported that the approximately $ 400 million $ 747-8 Air of the Boeing 747-8 should be upgraded to the presidential machine Air Force One and were donated from the office to his presidential foundation. So far there has been no official announcement from Qatar.

When asked whether Qatar requests consideration, Trump only said that he appreciated this “great gesture” of Qatar. He was not anyone who would repay such a offer. “I mean, I could be a stupid person and say: No, we don’t want a free, very expensive plane. But I thought it was a great gesture,” said Trump before his Middle East trip started.

The Qatarers would give the United States a free jet, said Trump. He could now say that he would rather pay a billion or $ 400 million. “Or I could say: ‘Thank you’.” He emphasized that Boeing was officially a gift for the US Department of Defense. The plane goes to his presidential library after his term in office that he would not use it privately.

The US President will travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates by Thursday. The planned gift could be officially announced during Trump’s stay in Qatar. The plan would raise legal and ethical questions. It is questionable whether the Trump government can accept such an expensive gift from a foreign partner, the US broadcaster ABC reported. Different legal departments of the government had dealt with the plan and probably approved it.

A Boeing 747-8 has a list price (as of 2019) of more than $ 400 million (355 million euros). According to the US media, the aircraft in question is more than a decade old. The two current presidential aircraft have been in use since the 1990s. As a flying office, a machine and a similarly configured replacement plane are specially tailored to the needs of the US president. They have the latest communication technology and anti-rocket devices on board and can be refueled in the air.