US accepts Boeing 747 from Qatar for Trump, will ensure security measures
President Trump speaks at meeting with Qatar
President Donald Trump continued his state visit to Qatar with a breakfast meeting with business leaders in Doha.
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The Defense Department will "work to ensure proper security measures" on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. He added that the plane was accepted "in accordance with all federal rules and regulations."
What they're saying:
Trump has defended the gift, which came up during his recent Middle East trip, as a way to save tax dollars.
"Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE," Trump posted on his social media site during the trip.
RELATED: Trump to accept 747 from Qatar to use as Air Force One, reports say
Trump was asked about the move Wednesday while he was meeting in the Oval Office with South Africa’s president. "They are giving the United States Air Force a jet," Trump said.
The Republican president has presented no national security imperative for a swift upgrade rather than waiting for Boeing to finish new Air Force One jets that have been in the works for years.
In this February 15, 2025 a Qatari Boeing 747 sits on the tarmac of Palm Beach International airport after US President Donald Trump toured the aircraft on February 15, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Im
The other side:
Critics of the plan worry that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.
"This is unprecedented," said Jessica Levinson, a constitutional law expert at Loyola Law School. "We just haven’t tested these boundaries before."
Democrats are united in outrage, and even some of the Republican president’s allies are worried. Laura Loomer, an outspoken conspiracy theorist who has tried to purge disloyal officials from the administration, wrote on social media that she would "take a bullet for Trump" but said she’s "so disappointed."
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from official statements by the Pentagon and President Donald Trump, including remarks he made while meeting with South Africa’s president in the Oval Office. This story was reported from Los Angeles.