President Donald Trump is reportedly preparing to accept a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet gifted from the royal family of Qatar as the new Air Force One for the remainder of his presidential term, at which point it will be transfer ownership to his presidential library, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ABC News on Sunday (May 11).
The gift is reportedly expected to be officially announced this week during Trump’s visit to Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second of two non-consecutive presidential terms, the sources said. The president had previously toured the plane, which is described as “a flying palace,” when it was parked at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February.
Sources told ABC News that lawyers for the White House counsel’s office and the Department of Justice drafted an analysis for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which concluded that accepting the gift wouldn’t violate bribery laws or the Constitution’s prohibition of a U.S. government official accepting gifts “from any King, Prince or foreign State.” Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House lawyer David Warrington concluded that the gift was “legally permissible” as it will be transferred to Trump’s presidential library after the conclusion of his presidential term, a source confirmed to ABC News.
