Investing.com-- U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to have confirmed recent reports that his administration will accept a Boeing (NYSE:BA) 747-8 plane as a gift from the Qatari royal family, which will be outfitted to serve as Air Force One.
Trump addressed the report of the aircraft in a post on Truth.Social, although he also lashed out at his political opponents, the Democrats, in the post.
“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that,” Trump wrote in the post.
ABC News had first reported the planned plane gift on Sunday, with the luxury plane shaping up to be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the U.S. government. A new 747-8 costs about $400 million.
The plane will also be reportedly donated to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office.
The proposal was criticized by the Democrats and other critics, who raised ethical and legal concerns over the gift.
“Nothing says ’America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar. It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote in an X post.
Trump’s potential acceptance of the Qatari plane comes as the President expressed repeated frustration over delays at Boeing in delivering two new 747-8 aircraft to serve as an update to Air Force One. Reports last week said Boeing had proposed delivering the planes by 2027, after failing to meet the initial deadline of 2024.
Trump had toured the Qatari-owned 747-8 in February. The U.S. President is set to visit Qatar during a trip to the Middle East this week.