A 13-year-old private Boeing aircraft President Donald Trump toured Saturday takes off from Palm Beach International Airport Feb. 16, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
"The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in the middle of his visit to Saudi Arabia. "It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive."
Some Democrats have called for an ethics investigation over the gift.
On Sunday, Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote to the Government Accountability Office, deriding the deal as a "flying grift," arguing it violates the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which "explicitly prohibits any person holding public office from accepting ‘any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.'"
HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR 'IMMEDIATE' ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP
Air Force One, carrying President Donald Trump, takes off from Palm Beach International Airport March 16, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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The gift has reportedly been tied up with legal reviews as the White House counsel's office and the Department of Justice review the legality of the president accepting such a pricey gift from a foreign nation.
The current Air Force One fleet includes two planes, and Trump awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion contract in 2018, during his first term, to manufacture two new jets. The construction of the jets, however, is not expected to be completed until 2029.
Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-clarifies-ownership-aircraft-defense-qatars-gift