President Trump is set to receive a “flying palace” Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family, which he will use as Air Force One, according to a report.
Trump, 78, intends to use the aircraft — called the most luxurious private jet in the world — as an interim presidential jet while Boeing completes the next generation Air Force One fleet following years of frustrating delays and cost-overruns.
The jumbo-jet, valued at $400 million, will then potentially transferred it to the Trump presidential library foundation as the president leaves office, sources told ABC News.
The president is heading to the Middle East this week for his second foreign trip of his second term, and will swing through Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Officials are expected to unveil the plans during Trump’s stop in Qatar, according to the report.
Trump previously toured the luxurious plane at West Palm Beach International Airport in February.
Over recent weeks, the Trump administration tapped defense contractor L3Harris to tune up the Boeing 747, which had previously been used by Qatar’s royal family, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Trump to wants the aircraft ready as early as the fall, according to the Journal.
During his first term, the Trump administration awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract in 2018 to produce two new presidential planes for use as Air Force One. That project is not set be get completed until 2029, according to an estimate from Boeing last year.
At the moment, the US has two old Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets for Air Force One — the designation for any airplane that the president is on — which have been in operation since the 1990s.
Air Force One jets have to be equipped with state-of-the-art communications and defensive systems to protect the commander-in-chief, which makes its development expensive and complicated.
Some military officials had been hoping to add a third jet to the fleet as a backup for maintenance purposes.
The president was personally involved in designing the color scheme of the next generation Air Force One planes and handling some fine points of the negotiation, frequently crowing about how he pushed the price down.
That project has since been hit with a series of delays and cost overruns.
Tech baron Elon Musk reportedly got involved in the Trump administration’s efforts to figure out what to do about Boeing’s delays and struggles to produce the next generation of Air Force One.
Ahead of unveiling the plan for Qatar’s “flying palace,” the Trump administration has assessed potential legal fallout, according to ABC.
The Constitution stipulates that “No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi and top White House lawyer David Warrington looked into the matter and concluded the plan is “legally permissible,” ABC News reported.
They concluded that receiving the plane is above board because it is not being given to the president conditioned on an official act.
The Post contacted the White House and Qatari Embassy for comment.
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