Trump to Accept 13-Year-Old 747 As Gift From Qatar

In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States by a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super-luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar.

Both the Department of Defense and the White House claim it is legal for the department to accept the aircraft. I Photo: Sheelah Craighead, Trump White House Archived Flickr

The aircraft is a gift intended for President Donald Trump’s use as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, ABC News reporters Jonathan Karl and Katherine Faulders reported.

The announcement had been expected next week during Trump’s visit to Qatar—his first foreign trip of his second term—according to sources familiar with the plans.

However, a senior White House official clarified that the gift would not be presented while the president is in Qatar this week.

In a social media post, Trump confirmed his administration was preparing to accept the aircraft, calling it a "very public and transparent transaction" involving the Department of Defense.

Trump previously toured the aircraft—so lavishly outfitted it’s known as “a flying palace”—while it was parked at West Palm Beach International Airport in February.

The highly unusual, and likely unprecedented, arrangement raises legal and ethical questions about whether the Trump administration—or ultimately the Trump presidential library foundation—can legally accept such a valuable gift from a foreign power.

Both the Department of Defense and the White House claim it is legal for the department to accept the aircraft, which will ultimately be transferred to the Trump library.

This arrangement means the plane would not be used by future presidents, but would remain under Trump’s personal use, albeit as federal property. U.S. law prohibits presidents from personally owning expensive gifts from foreign governments.