Trump Made the First Move for Jet ‘Gift’ From Qataris: Report
President Donald Trump’s claim that a jet plane from the Qatari royal family was a “gift” is facing turbulence after multiple sources tell CNN it was in fact the Trump administration that initiated talks to acquire the Boeing 747 that could temporarily serve as Air Force One.
Four sources familiar with the discussions contradict Trump’s implied line that Qatar spontaneously offered the plane. Instead, they say US officials, frustrated by delays in Boeing’s delivery of the new presidential fleet, actively pursued alternative options — Qatar among them.
“Qatar was one of the clients,” a source told CNN, explaining that Boeing pointed the Pentagon toward existing international customers. “The Pentagon offered to buy the plane and Qatar indicated it was willing to sell it.”
Appearing on CNN on Tuesday to report the development, journalist Alex Marqaurdt told anchor Jon Berman that the president’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff sparked the conversation:
Sources tell my colleagues and me that it was the Trump administration that first made the outreach to Qatar after Trump came into office. That it is, in fact, the U.S. that made this request of Doha.
The administration was told by Boeing, which is making the next generation of Air Force One planes, that the two planes would not arrive until 2027. Trump wanted something sooner. So the Pentagon, with the White House backing, reached out to Qatar.
Boeing had given the administration a list of possible planes that could work as Air Force One in the meantime, and Qatar had one of those planes.
The president’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, he also helped facilitate these early meetings. The Pentagon then offered to buy the plane, and Qatar offered to sell it. Now, we’re told the lawyers are still hashing out the details, but the White House is still claiming that this is going to be a donation from Qatar. Or, as Trump wrote on
Truth Social recently, a gift “free of charge.”
The discrepancy has stirred fresh controversy around the ethics of the so-called gift, with critics questioning both the optics and legality of such a deal. The plane – estimated to be worth up to $400 million – was reportedly toured by Trump at Palm Beach International Airport in February. His spokesperson at the time said he was there “to check out the new hardware/technology.”
White House officials maintain that if the deal goes through, it will be a legal government-to-government transaction between the U.S. Department of Defense and Qatar’s Ministry of Defense.
Even if approved, CNN reported, retrofitting the plane for presidential use would be a massive undertaking. Former intelligence officials say such a conversion could take years and pose serious national security challenges.
Watch above via CNN.
