Trump defends decision to accept VIP Boeing 747-8i ‘gift’ from Qatari Government

During President Trump’s upcoming visit to the Middle East during the week of May 12, 2025, the US president is widely expected to accept a gift in the form of a VIP Boeing 747-8 from the ruling Qatari royal family. Industry analysts are expecting that the aircraft will act as a temporary measure to provide a presidential airborne platform while the US government awaits the delivery of its own two much-delayed 747-8s to replace the existing pair of Air Force One aircraft.

The move to use the gifted 747-8i from Qatar comes as Trump has repeatedly voiced his frustration with Boeing over the excessive delays and escalating costs of the new generation Air Force One jets. Having originally been due to enter service in 2022, the two planes will not now see presidential service until at least 2027, as Trump nears the end of his second term as US president.

The US Air Force (USAF) currently operates a pair of VC-25As, which are heavily modified Boeing 747-200Bs for US presidential travel. However, with these aircraft dating back to the late 1980s, they require replacement. While the USAF has been expecting delivery of two brand new modified 747-8s known as the VC-25B for years, the program to manufacture and deliver these new aircraft has been beset with delays.   

Frustrated by the process to acquire the VC-25Bs, Trump has previously made it clear that he was looking elsewhere as a possible solution. Then, in February 2025, Trump was spotted taking a tour of a private Boeing 747-8i at West Palm Beach Airport (PBI), close to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The aircraft, carrying registration P4-HBJ, had previously been flown on behalf of the Qatari Government, but more recently is registered to Global Jet (Isle of Man).  

Trump “took time on Saturday to kick the tires on a luxury jet sitting at Palm Beach International Airport. Photographers spotted the tail number of the late model 747-8, which revealed the plane to have been owned, at least until recently, by the Qatari royal family” pic.twitter.com/nplZwv2Yrk— Gabriela Iglesias (@iglesias_gabby) February 20, 2025 In March 2025, The Wall Street Journal revealed that Trump had appointed a recognized US defense contractor, L3Harris, to perform the necessary work required to overhaul the plane for presidential use. The Qatari government has previously acknowledged discussions between itself and the US Administration about the possible transfer of a plane to be used temporarily as Trump’s replacement Air Force One. However, reports that the plane was to be gifted to Trump were initially denied by the Qatari Government.

According to ABC News on May 11,12025, Trump will use the plane as a new version of Air Force One until shortly before he ends his second term in office in early 2029, when the new VC-25Bs arrive and ownership of the former Qatari aircraft will then be transferred to the foundation overseeing Trump’s yet-to-be-built presidential library. An announcement surrounding the future of the aircraft is expected to be made when Trump visits Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates in the coming days.

According to data obtained from ch-aviation, the aircraft in question is just over 13 years old, having first flown in March 2012. It was delivered to the Qatar Amiri Flight with the registration A7-HJA and remained operational in this role for over ten years. During this time, it was re-registered as A7-HBJ in July 2015, before being transferred to Global Jet in December 2023, and assuming the Aruban registration P4-HBJ.

Oleksandr Naumenko / ShutterstockWhile both parties are playing down the likelihood of a possible transfer of the aircraft to the US, industry commentators are convinced that a deal has been done, despite what the Qataris are saying publicly.

According to the LA Times, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché, said in a statement, “Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate. The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense,” the statement said. “But the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.”

A contentious acquisition

Yet, while a deal may appear to have been done for the jet, there are various parties claiming that the acquisition of the aircraft is illegal under the US Constitution. The existence of an ‘Emoluments Clause’ within the Constitution bars anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office, or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State,” without congressional consent. However, it is believed that Trump’s legal advisors have formulated arguments that could circumvent such restrictions.

Evan El-Amin / ShutterstockMeanwhile, other opponents of Trump claim that he is using his position in high office to personally benefit from deals being made behind the cloak of secrecy of his presidency. Trump’s own family business, the Trump Organization, which is largely run by his two sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has vast and growing interests in the Middle East, which include a deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, partnering with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by that country’s sovereign wealth fund. The country is also known to have been working hard to build a close relationship with Trump since his return to office in January 2025.

Administration officials have been quick to negate concerns about the president’s policy interests blurring with his family’s business profits, arguing that Trump’s personal assets are in a trust managed by his children and that a voluntary ethics agreement released by the Trump Organization in January 2025 bars the company from striking deals directly with foreign governments. When quizzed on the matter on May 9, 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “ridiculous” to suggest Trump “is doing anything for his own benefit [while on a presidential foreign visit].”

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