Trump Stands by Qatar Jet Gift, Calls Criticism ‘Radical Left Story’
President Donald Trump, during an interview in Abu Dhabi, once again defended his decision to accept a luxurious $400 million jet from Qatar as a replacement for Air Force One. He dismissed bipartisan criticism of the arrangement as a ‘radical left story.’
A ‘Good Deal’ and a Gift to the Nation?
‘I just want to say, it was a radical left story,’ Trump told Fox News’s Bret Baier. ‘The people here, to show you how crazy it is, they would like me to pay a billion dollars.’
Trump insisted he had made ‘a good deal’ and that the plane, a Boeing 747-8 formerly used by the Qatari royal family, is a gift to the federal government, not to him personally. He stated that the plane would be ‘old’ by the time it is decommissioned and given to his presidential library.
Reagan’s Plane as a Precedent
Trump drew a comparison to former President Ronald Reagan’s Air Force One, which is currently on display at his library in Pasadena, California. ‘This goes to the United States Air Force for whoever is president, and at some point, it’ll be like Ronald Reagan,’ he explained. ‘It’ll be decommissioned, because they won’t want it.’
Reagan’s plane was decommissioned to the Reagan Foundation in 2001, three years before his death.
New Air Force One on the Horizon
Meanwhile, the Defense Department already has a contract with Boeing to build two new replacement planes for the official presidential fleet. Trump noted that these new planes are expected to be ready by the time the Qatar-gifted jet is decommissioned.
‘We need a plane for a couple of years before we get the other ones, because Boeing is very late,’ Trump said. ‘They should be able to knock them off in no time.’
Trump previously stated that it would be ‘stupid’ to refuse the gift and expressed discomfort with the idea of the U.S. having a presidential plane that is not as impressive as those used by other world leaders.
Addressing the Backlash
Trump acknowledged that he had addressed the controversy with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during a news conference earlier in the week.
‘I think he was insulted, actually,’ Trump replied. ‘He made a gift to help somebody that has helped them.’
