Two sources informed HEADLINESFOREVER that the Trump administration is in the process of accepting a lavish jet from the royal family of Qatar. The plane will be modified and operated as Air Force One during the second term of the president.
Trump will visit Doha, Qatar, on Monday as part of his inaugural foreign tour.
This unusual action begs serious ethical and legal considerations, considering the enormous value of a Boeing 747-8. The jet is being handed to the Pentagon by the Qatari Ministry of Defense, according to a Qatari official. This official characterized the transaction as more of a government-to-government exchange than a personal one. The president’s jet will thereafter undergo security upgrades and alterations at the request of the Defense Department.
A source close to the matter revealed that whenever Trump steps down from office, the jet would reportedly be given to his presidential library so that he may keep using it.
According to Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché to the US, any claims that a plane is being donated by Qatar to the US government for President Trump’s impending visit are false. This was said on Sunday.
No decision has been taken about the probable transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One, he added. The topic is still being reviewed by the respective legal offices of the US Department of Defense and Qatar’s Ministry of Defense.
Initial coverage of the new jet came from ABC News.
A source informed HEADLINESFOREVER that the jet, which Trump and his associates inspected earlier this year at the Palm Beach, Florida airport, is likely to be put into service within two years.
Trump has been bragging to those close to him about the plane’s opulence since his tour ended.
White House communications director Steven Cheung stated at the time that President Trump is visiting a new Boeing jet to review the new hardware/technology.
Two 747 planes have been in the works to be converted into next-gen Air Force One planes, but the project has been plagued by delays at Boeing. Originally planned to be delivered by 2022, the planes are now reportedly not expected until at least 2027.
“The project’s failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised, as they are already 5 years late,” Cheung said earlier this year, referring to Trump’s tour of the jet.
New planes to replace Air Force One have been behind schedule, which has greatly irritated the president. At one point, he even requested Elon Musk to speed things up for him.
Delays have been caused by problems in the supply chain and staffing constraints that occurred during the COVID-19 epidemic.