Donald Trump, the Jet and other expensive gifts to US President

US President Donald Trump flies to the Middle East, and there was great excitement in advance. The Emir of Katar wants to leave Trump a luxurious Boeing 747-8 Type Boeing 747-8 aircraft. Such a Boeing costs $ 400 million in a new condition, the accusation of bribery is in the room.

The machine in question is ten years old, but it may be the most expensive gift that the US government has ever received, US media report. The Qatar, on the other hand, may not speak of a gift, but only of the “possible handover of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One”.

Trump has already made it clear that he does not see any ethical problems. Only a “stupid person” would not accept such a “free, very expensive plane”, said Trump. It is “a great gesture”. After his term, the plane should go to his presidential library, he would not use it privately.

Whether gift, gesture or benefit deal-the case is legal. Because the US constitution expressly prohibits government officials to accept “any gift, a remuneration, a service, title or anything from a king, prince or foreign state” without the consent of the congress.

Nevertheless, US presidents in history were repeatedly considered with valuable and bizarre gifts. Even the famous Resolute Desk in the White House, where Trump signs his presidential orders, was a gift from Queen Victoria to the then President Rutherford B. Hayes from 1880.

In order to show transparency and to counter the accusation of bribery, there are clear rules of how to proceed from abroad. US government members must therefore state all gifts that are worth more than $ 480 and generally do not have to keep them themselves.

Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden and his family received numerous things in 2023 alone that clearly exceeded this value, as can be seen from a list of the Foreign Ministry. The most expensive gift came from the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave the first Lady Jill Biden a diamond worth $ 20,000. The Ukrainian ambassador gave a brooch worth $ 14,000, the South Korean President a souvenir photo album for $ 7,000.

For the question, corruption or not, it is crucial what happens to the gifts. While some are simply destroyed, others go into the possession of the state. According to Foreign Ministry, the diamond is kept in the White House. Many also migrate to the national archives and the so-called presidential library, in which the term of office of an ex-president is documented.

Barack Obama’s “Presidential Library”, for example, lists more than 3000 gifts from foreign heads of state, including jewelry, paintings, handbags and astonishingly many ties. The gifts are considered the ownership of the state, but ex-president can keep individual pieces to a reasonable price.

Again and again it happens that president also preserved something extraordinary: Bill Clinton received a huge handmade carpet from Azerbaijani president in 1997, in which the portraits of him and his wife Hillary were woven. George W. Bush even received a dog puppy from the Bulgarian President. Because the shepherd dog was poorly archived, Bush bought him and passed it on to a friend.

Trump now apparently imagines that the Qatar jet will only serve as an Air Force One and then later decorate his personal presidential library-instead of approaching the next president. Critics therefore do not see the accusation of corruption.

Especially since it remains to be seen what Trump will actually hand over to his presidential library. In his first term, around 100 gifts from abroad were not properly specified, a control committee of the House of Representatives criticized in 2023. In total, Trump is said to have not reported gifts worth $ 250,000, including valuable daggers from Saudi Arabia and Golden Golfschläger from Japan.