Did Qatar Really "Gift" Plane To Trump? Reports Say Otherwise

Contrary to the narrative from US President Donald Trump that Qatar reached out and offered the mega-expensive Boeing 747 as a "gift" to him, it was the Trump administration that specifically sought out the luxury jumbo jet from the Gulf nation to replace Air Force One, reports by CNN and The New York Times claimed. 

The reports come amid mounting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans in Washington, as well as ethics lawyers, who said the acceptance of the place by the US seems either like Trump himself was taking the gift or that the Qataris were using it to curry favour with the US government. 

Why Trump Needed A New Plane

The existing Air Force One 747s used by US presidents are extremely old and are no longer in production. These old planes require extensive servicing and frequent repairs, according to a report by The New York Times. 

Both Republicans and Democrats have been pressing to replace these jets for decades, and the United States signed a $3.9 billion contract with Boeing in 2018 for two jets to be used as Air Force One. The delivery deadline was set for 2024, but a series of delays has pushed it to 2027, possibly beyond Trump's second term, the report said.

The Trump administration, however, wanted a replacement plane much faster, and the military officials reportedly started exploring ways for the United States to buy a temporary plane for the president to use while Boeing's work creaked along. Quoting sources, the NYT report said that the White House Military Office, which oversees presidential travel, worked with Boeing and the Defence Department to compile a list of every late-model 747 on the market with a "business-jet layout", which could more quickly be retrofitted into a presidential plane.

It was found that there were only eight planes in the world that fit the bill, and the flashy double-decker jet--that Qatar had been trying to sell for several years with no luck-- was one of them. 

This is where Trump's Middle East envoy, Steven Witkoff, came into play. Witkoff, who is an old friend of Trump from his early days in New York real estate, reportedly knew the Qataris well. He was bailed out by the Gulf nation's sovereign wealth fund in 2023 when a real estate deal on Central Park South went bad, the NYT report said. 

Gift Or A Deal

After learning that the White House supported the idea of acquiring the Qatari jet, the Pentagon launched the discussions with Qatar, and Witkoff helped facilitate the initial conversations, according to a report by CNN. 

Quoting sources, the report said that initial discussions were about leasing the plane, rather than buying it outright.

The jet, which was delivered by Boeing to Qatar in 2012 and is worth $150 million to $180 million in its current state, Marc Foulkrod, an aerospace engineer who at one point tried to help Qatar sell the plane, said in an interview on Friday.

Qatar reportedly sent the jet to Florida on February 15, when Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago resort, so he could see the plane firsthand. At the time, the White House had suggested that Trump's tour of the Qatari plane was intended to put pressure on Boeing to speed its work on its new presidential jets.

However, when the President saw the plane, "It was love at first sight," the NYT report said.

The opulent jet reportedly had the highest level of craftsmanship. Its upper deck has a lounge and a communications center, while the main bedroom could be "converted into a complete Medical Patient Transport Unit with direct oxygen supply." There was a "business class" section with 12 fully reclining seats for the staff-- all standard requirements for Air Force One.

Soon, the talks about acquiring it intensified. Discussions among Trump's senior aides also shifted from leasing to a government-to-government sale to a donation.

Quoting a senior administration official, the NYT report said that it was Qatar that raised the option of a potential gift, "or at least that Qatari officials were 'agreeable' to the idea of a no-charge, government-to-government transfer when it came up."

Another official said Witkoff always believed the transaction would be a donation, an account that Qatar has declined to address. 

However, government officials in Qatar apparently had a different version of the sequence of events. The NYT report said the expectation in Qatar was that the plane would be sold to the United States, not offered as a gift.

But by May 11, Trump announced on social media that Qatar would be providing the plane to the United States, he characterised it as "a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE."

Cost Of Jet

Reports have put the value of the plane around $400 million, but CNN report said that it has depreciated in value.

The cost of operating such an opulent jet is an estimated $25,000 per hour, according to the NYT report. "The hourly cost to charter a jet like this is even higher, about $35,000. That means the round-trip flight from Doha to Florida of about 30 hours in the air, not including the time on the ground, could have cost perhaps as much as $1 million for a charter," it said. 

Deal Not Final Yet

Per the CNN report, lawyers on both sides are still hashing out the deal. "From that time [the initial US outreach to Qatar] until today, the matter is still with the legal teams," said a source familiar with the discussions.

Earlier this week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the potential transfer a "donation to our country," saying Qatar's royal family "has offered to donate this plane to the United States Air Force, where that donation will be accepted according to all legal and ethical obligations."

Trump himself, during his Middle East Tour, said he "would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.' But it was, I thought it was a great gesture."

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani did not confirm Trump's claim of being approached by a Qatari official. During conversations with CNN's Becky Anderson last Wednesday, he said, "It has nothing to do with personnel, whether it's on the US side or the Qatari side."

"This is a very simple government-to-government dealing when Ministry of Defense and Department of Defense are still exchanging the possibility of transferring one of our 747-8 to be used as Air Force One and it's still under the legal review," Al-Thani said.