Nikki Haley Slams Trump Over Qatari ‘Flying Palace’ Gift: ‘If This Were Biden, We Would Be Furious’
(AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
President Donald Trump’s former ambassador to the UN and GOP presidential primary rival, Nikki Haley, pulled no punches on Tuesday in criticizing his decision to accept a $400 million luxury plane from Qatar.
Trump’s announcement of the lavish gift from the Middle Eastern monarchy has roiled Washington, DC as critics have accused him of taking a bribe from a state-sponsor of terrorism, while national security experts sounded the alarm on possible breaches. Haley hit Trump on both fronts.
“Accepting gifts from foreign nations is never a good practice. It threatens intelligence and national security,” she wrote on X, adding:
Especially when that nation supports a terrorist organization and allows those terrorist regimes to live on its soil. Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the President and US can be bought. If this were Biden, we would be furious.
Other Republicans have already joined the chorus criticizing Trump accepting the gift from Qatar on Monday, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). Paul told Punchbowl News Monday, “I don’t think it looks good or smells good.”
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson also ripped into Qatar while urging Trump to reject the gift, saying, “Qatar is a rogue regime that is not our friend. And many people in Washington, D.C. treat Qatar the way they treated China 20 years ago, as if it’s some innocent country that’s just involved in things.” He added:
Pam Bondi, the Attorney General of the United States, was a lobbyist for Qatar. She made $119,000 a month. I don’t think that we should agree with Pam Bondi saying, ‘Oh, yes, Qatar can gift this to the Department of Defense on condition it goes to the Trump Presidential Library.’ I think she’s opening Donald Trump up to legal trouble later.
Qatar spends a lot of money to improve its image while paying terrorists to murder American citizens. And I do not think the president’s Air Force One substitute should be a plane bought with the same money used to kill American citizens.
Trump has defended accepting the “flying palace” from Qatar, saying he’d be “stupid” to turn it down.
