The Targeted Gift: Trump Allegedly Requested Purchase Terms for Qatar’s 747 He Claimed Was a “Donation”
A new investigative report, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, challenges the narrative surrounding the Qatari government’s offer of a luxurious Boeing 747 to President Donald Trump. Contrary to the former president’s repeated claims that the roughly $400 million aircraft was an unsolicited “gift,” emerging details suggest that U.S. officials were the ones who first contacted Qatar to explore acquiring the plane.
According to CNN, which spoke to four sources knowledgeable about the talks, members of the Trump administration "initially approached Qatar to inquire about acquiring a Boeing 747 that could be used as Air Force One for President Donald Trump." This move reportedly came after the Pentagon consulted Boeing about new presidential aircraft following Trump's inauguration in January. Boeing informed the Department of Defense that it would be at least two years before the replacements for the aging presidential fleet could be delivered.
Faced with that delay and the Trump administration’s desire for a quicker solution, the Air Force explored alternatives. A senior White House official told CNN that Trump “tasked his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, with compiling a list of viable aircraft.” Witkoff, according to the same source, helped initiate early conversations.
After the Pentagon’s initial contact with Boeing, the manufacturer provided U.S. defense officials with a list of international customers who owned Boeing aircraft that might serve as temporary substitutes. “Qatar was one of those clients,” one source said, adding that the Pentagon “offered to buy the aircraft” and Qatar signaled it was open to a sale. Another source recalled the early talks were centered around leasing the aircraft rather than a direct purchase, a move reportedly backed by the White House.
These revelations stand in stark contrast to Trump’s public characterization of the deal. He has repeatedly referred to the potential transfer as a “gesture” or “contribution” from the Qatari royal family. On Truth Social, Trump wrote that it was a “‘GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE’” and said the aircraft would serve as a temporary Air Force One before being transferred to his presidential library after his term, denying any intention to use it for travel.
Trump has defended accepting the offer, saying it would take a “stupid person” to turn down a “free plane” from a foreign government. In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump said Boeing was “way behind on the plane” and added, “Qatar heard about it, and he’s a great leader. And we were talking, and he said, ‘If I can help you, let me do it.’ And they had a plane.”
In February, Trump reportedly toured the Qatari aircraft with aides while it was parked at Palm Beach airport in Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago residence. He later commented on the jet’s opulence to those around him. Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said the president boarded the plane “to inspect the new hardware/technology.”
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the potential transfer a “donation to our country,” stating that the Qatari royal family “offered to donate this aircraft to the United States Air Force, where the donation will be accepted in accordance with all legal and ethical obligations.”
Legal teams from both countries are still negotiating the terms of the deal. “From that initial contact [between the U.S. and Qatar] to today, the matter remains with legal teams,” one source said, “and no final decision has been made.” Although early reports pegged the aircraft’s value at $400 million, two sources noted it had since depreciated.
The controversy surrounding the plane, which threatened to overshadow a Trump trip to the Middle East, sparked political backlash. Both Democrats and several influential Republicans voiced ethical concerns, with some Democratic lawmakers threatening to block weapons sales to the Gulf state.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, when asked by CNN, did not confirm Trump’s version of events. He described the situation as a “very simple government-to-government deal” in which Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense are still negotiating the possibility of transferring a 747-8 for use as Air Force One. He added, “If there is something the U.S. needs and it is completely legal and we can help, we are willing to support the U.S.,” but emphasized the offer would be withdrawn if deemed illegal.
This offer and the new revelations come amid significant delays in the VC-25B program, which is set to replace the current VC-25A aircraft (based on the Boeing 747-200B) that serve as Air Force One. The new jets, based on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, are behind schedule. Acting Air Force acquisition chief Darlene Costello told Congress this month that delivery is now expected in 2027—five years later than initially planned, but two years ahead of Boeing’s latest projection.
Trump has voiced frustration over the delays, saying in February, “There’s no excuse for it” and that he could “buy one used and retrofit it,” adding, “We are looking at other options.”
Beyond ethical and legal issues, retrofitting a secondhand aircraft from another government—even an ally—to Air Force One standards poses major technical and financial challenges. Current and former officials told CNN that installing secure communications, military-grade avionics, and defensive systems could take two years and cost “multiples of the aircraft’s own value.”
U.S. intelligence and security agencies would need to essentially strip the jet to its frame and rebuild it with the required systems. One former senior counterintelligence official expressed skepticism: “I don’t see how this gets done with an acceptable level of risk in a reasonable timeframe, if at all.”
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