Trump Rips Into Critics as Fury Intensifies Over Qatar Jet: ‘Only a FOOL Would Not Accept This Gift’
President Donald Trump is brushing off bipartisan backlash over a $400 million Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar—insisting the luxurious aircraft isn’t for him, but for the country.
The president, now deep into his Middle East trip, pitched the plane as a patriotic bargain to address the storm of criticism that has followed him since the Qatari royal family offered the aging but high-end jet. At around 2:30 a.m. local time, he took to Truth Social to write:
The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! 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. 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. This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
By 4:05 a.m. local time, Trump was already re-posting comments likening the luxury jet “freebie” to France’s 1884 gift of the Statue of Liberty.
But not everyone is buying it. Democrats have been naturally critical but a new YouGov poll published Monday showed a majority of Americans find the gift “unacceptable.”
More notable, however, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), and figures like MAGA media fixture Laura Loomer have all slammed the optics — and legality — of the deal.
“I do think the jet probably sends the wrong signal to people, and I don’t like the look or the appearance [of it], so I would hope he rejects it,” Paul told Fox News.
Even if Trump isn’t flying it post-presidency, security experts warn that overhauling the jet to meet Air Force One standards would cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions — while raising concerns about embedded surveillance tech.
