The Trump administration is about to accept ‘Palace in the sky’ as a gift for Trump de Qatar: Fuentes
In What May Be the Most Valuable Gift Ever Extended to the United States from A Foreign Government, The Trump Administration is preparing to accept a Super Luxury Boeing 747-8 Jumbo Jet from The Royal Family of Qatar-A Gift That is to Be available For Use by President Donald Trump Trump One Until Shortly Before He Leaves Office, At Which Time Ownership of The Plane Will Be Transferred To The Trump Presidential Library Foundation, family sources with the proposed arrangement awa abc news.
The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second term, according to sources familiar with the plans.
Trump toured the plane, which is so opulently configured that it is known as “a flying palace”, while it was parked at West Palm Beach International Airport in February.
A 13 -year -old Boeing aircraft that President Donald Trump toured on Saturday to see the new features of hardware and technology and highlight the delay of the aircraft manufacturer in the delivery of updated versions of Air Force One Presidential Aircraft, take off from the Palm Beach International Airport, on Sunday, February 16, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Ap Photo/Ben Curtis)
I CURTIS/AP
The highly unusual agreement, unprecedented, will surely ask questions about whether it is legal for the Trump administration and, ultimately, the foundation of the Trump Presidential Library, to accept such a valuable gift of a foreign power.
Anticipating those questions, the sources told ABC News that the lawyers of the Office of the White House Council and the Department of Justice wrote an analysis for the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegesh of the United States Government Clause of the United States Government. State.”
The sources told ABC News that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the main lawyer of Trump’s White House, David Warrington, concluded that it would be “legally permissible” for the donation of the aircraft to be conditioned to transfer its property to the Trump presidential library before the end of its mandate, according to sources familiar with its determination.
The sources said Bondi provided a legal memorandum addressed to the White House lawyer’s office last week after Warrington asked him for advice on the legality of the Pentagon who accepted that donation.
The White House and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to the request for comments. A spokesman for the Qatar embassy did not respond to ABC consultations.
President Donald Trump talks to journalists after disembarking Marine, upon his arrival at the Southern Finish of the White House in Washington, on Sunday, May 4, 2025.
LAMEY/AP
Initially, the plane will be transferred to the United States Air Force, which will modify the 13 -year -old plane to comply with the US military specifications required for any plane used to transport the president of the United States, multiple sources familiar with the proposed agreement said.
The plane will be transferred to the Foundation of the Trump Presidential Library no later than January 1, 2029, and the United States Air Force will pay any cost related to its transfer, sources told ABC News.
According to experts in the aviation industry, the estimated aircraft value that Trump will inherit is approximately $ 400 million, and that is without additional communications security equipment that the Air Force must adequately add the plane to safely transport the commander in chief.
As the Wall Street Journal first reported, the L3Harris aviation company has already been in charge of checking the plane to meet the requirements of a presidential plane.
President Donald Trump walks to Board Marine One to leave for Alabama, on the southern grass of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, May 1, 2025.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Both the White House and the Department of Justice concluded that because the gift is not conditioned to any official act, it does not constitute bribe, the sources said. Bondi’s legal analysis also says that it does not face the prohibition of the Constitution on foreign gifts because the plane is not taking place to an individual, but to the United States Air Force and, finally, to the foundation of the Presidential Library, the sources said.
The main plane used in the current Air Force One fleet includes two Jumbo 747-200 Jumbo aircraft that have been operational since 1990. The air force contract with Boeing to replace these planes has been plagued with delays and excess costs.
The original contract was signed in 2018, but from last year, Boeing anticipated that the plane would not be ready until 2029, after Trump leaves the position.
The president has expressed deep frustration with delays, attacking Elon Musk to work with Boeing and the Air Force to accelerate the process. Those efforts have been modestly successful. The most recent estimated delivery date of Boeing is now 2027, but Trump has made it clear that he wants a new plane this year.
