The Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday joined a growing group of bipartisan lawmakers criticizing President Donald Trump for accepting a gift of a $400 million Boeing 747 jet from Qatar to temporarily replace an aging Air Force One.
Boeing was supposed to deliver a replacement for the more than 30-year-old Air Force One last year, but significant delays have pushed delivery back until 2027. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Tuesday the jet is not for personal use but was a gift meant to save taxpayers money while awaiting the Boeing replacement.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., disputed Trump’s rationale for the gift as a no-cost solution for a new Air Force One. He cited the costs of scrubbing the aircraft for any surveillance equipment and installing numerous security upgrades.
"It would be like the United States moving into the Qatari embassy," he said, Politico reported. "I’m not sure how quickly the Qatari aircraft can be retooled."
Wicker urged Boeing to "redouble their efforts" instead of having Trump accept a gift that would require nearly as much work.
"Clearly, the listening devices, the communication devices, things like that, the safety features all have to be factored in and have to be done to our American standards," he said.
When Boeing’s new Air Force One is ready, the Qatari jet is to be transferred to Trump’s presidential library, which has yet to be built, as a museum piece after he leaves office, according to Politico.
"If the Qataris want to make a gift to the United States, then it would be a lot more proper for that gift to be made to the government of the United States — to be used by Mr. Trump and his successor — and not given to the library," Wicker said.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Newsmax on Tuesday that the gift "sends a bad signal."
"To me, it's not about President Trump or any individual president. It's about presidents in general or people in office taking gifts," Paul said. "So, the Constitution says you can't take emoluments or gifts from foreign entities unless approved by Congress. I don't know how you get around that, and it's a pretty significant gift. ... It's a $400 million plane."
A group of Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Rhode Island’s Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, is urging the Pentagon inspector general to investigate what they described as an unconstitutional foreign gift to Trump, Politico reported. They argued the plane wouldn’t be ready for Trump’s use until nearly the end of his term.
Trump was in Qatar on Wednesday as part of the second leg of his Middle East tour, his first trip to the region of his second term. The subject of the plane did not come up, according to Politico. He was in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and will be in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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