Daijiworld Media Network- Washington
Washington, May 14: Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended the decision to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 aircraft from Qatar, describing it as a patriotic and cost-saving move, amid mounting debate over the transaction's legality and optics.
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump clarified that the aircraft—valued at an estimated USD 400 million—was gifted to the United States Air Force/Department of Defence and not for his personal use.
“The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defence, NOT TO ME!” Trump posted. “It is a gift from a nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive.”
In a strongly worded message, Trump questioned the opposition to the gift, saying it would be a waste of taxpayer money not to accept it. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars when they can get it for free from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,” he asked, calling the potential savings “big” and claiming they would be used to “Make America Great Again.”
"Only a fool would not accept this gift on behalf of our country," Trump wrote, as he took a veiled dig at critics within the Democratic Party, branding them “World Class Losers.”
The former president had also posted earlier that accepting the aircraft was a “very public and transparent transaction,” taking a swipe at Democrats who he claimed were insistent on paying top dollar for a replacement Air Force One.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the legalities surrounding the donation from Qatar's royal family were still being ironed out. She reiterated that any gift to the government would be processed strictly within the framework of legal compliance.
"Any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law," she said, according to CNN.
Qatar’s gift of the Boeing 747-8, reportedly offered by the royal family, has stirred both admiration and scrutiny. While some hail it as a diplomatic gesture and a practical solution to the delay in new presidential aircraft deliveries, others question the precedent it may set for foreign influence.
The temporary use of the Qatari-donated aircraft comes amid broader delays in the production and delivery of the next-generation Air Force One planes by Boeing, a matter that has drawn repeated criticism from Trump during and after his presidency.