Qatari military aircraft perform a flyover before U.S. President Donald Trump departs on Air Force One from Al Udeid Air Base, en-route to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in Doha, Qatar, May 15, 2025. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
Trump ally Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has said the plane poses "significant espionage and surveillance problems" while liberal Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., declared, "Trump cannot accept a $400 million flying palace from the royal family of Qatar. Not only is this farcically corrupt, it is blatantly unconstitutional."
"Qatar is not, in my opinion, a great ally. I mean, they support Hamas. So what I'm worried about is the safety of the president," Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters last week.
Asked about the latest news, Trump told a reporter at the White House: "They're giving the United States Air Force a jet, okay, and it's a great thing."
"You're a terrible reporter, You don't have what it takes to be a reporter," he said.
TRUMP VISITS QATAR AS COUNTRY'S JET OFFER PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON NATION'S GROWING INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON
When asked about the Qatari jet, Trump told a journalist: "You don't have what it takes to be a reporter. ( REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
He boasted that he'd secured $5.1 trillion in investments during his trip to the Middle East last week.
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Earlier, Trump had said of the criticisms: "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," Trump wrote. "Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA."
Trump in 2018 awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion fixed-price agreement to manufacture two new jets, after months of haggling over the price. The jets were supposed to be delivered in 2024, but the project is around five years behind schedule and already $2.5 billion over budget.
Fox News' Liz Friden contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-accepts-jet-from-qatar-refit-serve-air-force-one