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.
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.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to NBC News that “any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws.”
“President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency,” Leavitt said.
The 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 Department of Government Efficiency 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.
