Qatar Giving $400 million Boeing 747-8 “Palace in the Sky” to DJT

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The royal family of Qatar will give an ultra luxurious Boeing 747-8 worth $400 million and described as a “Palace in the Sky” to the Department of Defense for Donald Trump for use as Air Force One and then to be transferred to his Presidential library near the end of his term in office.

Legal ownership will transfer to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation no later than 1 January 2029. The Air Force will incur any costs related to the transfer. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was previously a registerd lobbyist for Qatar at $115,000 per month, approved acceptance of the 13 year old aircraft with the reasoning that the Constitution’s emoluments clause prohibiting foreign gifts is avoided by technically giving it to the Air Force and then to the library foundation rather than directly to Trump as an individual, and not conditioning the gift on any particular official act.

The company L3Harris under contract to the Air Force will modify the jetliner to meet military specifications for aircraft used by the President of the USA. This will add substantially to the value of the aircraft. Security experts say that examining it for undesired equipment or operational weaknesses will be a nightmare.

Trump has been frustrated and impatient that replacements for Air Force One from Boeing are behind schedule and will not be ready until late in this term of office. He wants a new Air Force One this year.

Within hours after news of the gift surfaced, Qatar reacted to the alarm and discord it provoked. Qatar’s Media Attaché to the USA Ali Al-Ansari said the deal is not final. “The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.”

Like the VC-25B aircraft under construction by Boeing, the airplane from Qatar will not be able to accept refueling while in flight. The current aging Air Force One aircraft, built in 1990, are able to do so which provides essentially unlimited range.

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