Trump poised to accept Qatar jet gift as Air Force One

Trump poised to accept Qatar jet gift as Air Force One


U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One for travel back to Washington, D.C., at Palm Beach International Airport, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. May 4, 2025.

Leah Millis | Reuters

President Donald Trump is preparing to accept a luxury jet from the royal family of Qatar, which he will use as Air Force One, four sources familiar with the planning confirmed to NBC News.

The plane, a Boeing 747-8 jet, is set to be transferred to Trump’s presidential library foundation at the conclusion of his second White House term, two sources confirmed to NBC.

The administration will retrofit the plane so it can be used in Trump’s official capacity as president.

The lavish gift is likely to raise questions from legal scholars and experts surrounding the legality of the move.

Read more CNBC politics coverage

A new commercial Boeing 747-800 costs roughly $400 million, according to data from 2019, the most recent year for which data is publicly available.

The White House and Department of Justice did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

ABC News first reported on the plans.

Reports of the move comes as Trump is set to travel to the Middle East this week, including a stop in Qatar, for the first foreign trip of his second term.

Trump struck a deal during his first term to modernize two Boeing 747s to be used as the new Air Force One aircraft. But the fixed-price contract with Boeing has gone more than $2 billion over budget amid repeated delays. The planes may not be completed until at least 2027.

Trump this year expressed frustration over the Boeing delays and said he was weighing alternatives.

“We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something,” he said in February, according to a Reuters report at the time, while touring a Qatari 747 at Florida’s Palm Beach International Airport.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in January that the company was working with DOGE lead and key Trump ally Elon Musk on delivering the planes sooner.

CNBC reported earlier this month that the U.S. was working with L3Harris Technologies to modify a used Qatari Boeing 747 to possibly become a new U.S. presidential plane.

NBC News contributed reporting.



Source

Watch live: Trump speaks at NATO press conference
Politics

Watch live: Trump speaks at NATO press conference

[The stream is slated to start at 9 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] President Donald Trump is speaking Wednesday at NATO’s annual summit in the Netherlands. Trump’s comments come days after he announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Subscribe to CNBC on […]

Read More
‘Time to get serious on defense’: A moment of truth for NATO as leaders seek unity on spending hike
Politics

‘Time to get serious on defense’: A moment of truth for NATO as leaders seek unity on spending hike

The NATO summit in the Netherlands. Haiyun Jiang | Via Reuters It’ll be a moment of truth for NATO on Wednesday when the Western military alliance releases a joint statement on a heavily pushed and previewed collective defense spending hike. Allies have been corralled, cajoled and pressured to hike their defense expenditure from 2% to […]

Read More
Greece is one of NATO’s top defense spenders. Here’s why
Politics

Greece is one of NATO’s top defense spenders. Here’s why

Military vehicles are seen during a military parade commemorating the Greek Independence Day in Athens, Greece, on March 25, 2025. Marios Lolos | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Sun-soaked Greece may not immediately come to mind as a top defense spender — but only four NATO allies spent a bigger slice of their GDP […]

Read More