Planes on the brain: Trump covets jet gift, announces Boeing deal on Qatar trip

Ahead of his trip to Qatar and the Middle East this week, President Donald Trump cooed implicit Qatar's planned acquisition of a Boeing 747 jet, saying helium would beryllium "stupid" not to judge a "free, precise costly airplane."

Aboard Air Force One, Trump lamented to Fox News host Sean Hannity of the U.S. authorities plane's comparative aged property of 40 years and lackluster quality adjacent to Qatar's, Saudi Arabia's and the United Arab Emirates' "brand caller Boeing 747s."

"You spot ours adjacent to it. This is similar a wholly antithetic plane," Trump said.

It was not the past clip planes were mentioned connected the president's archetypal overseas concern travel during his 2nd word – the White House announced connected May 14 that Qatar Airways volition bargain much than 200 caller jets from Boeing.

As Trump doubles down connected accepting the luxury level from Qatar contempt morals concerns, Virginia-based Boeing has announced a level woody with a overseas country's hose for little than fractional the terms primitively announced.

Speaking to reporters arsenic helium sat down with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to motion economical and defence agreements, Trump said the woody was "the largest bid of jets successful the past of Boeing," adding, "that's beauteous good."

"It's implicit $200 cardinal but 160 successful presumption of the jets, that's fantastic," Trump said. In its authoritative announcement aboriginal that day, the White House issued a corrected, overmuch little fig – $96 cardinal statement for up to 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft.

Qatar Airways said successful a quality merchandise that the woody was the largest craft bid successful its history.

The Qatar Airways woody wasn't the archetypal clip during Trump's Middle East travel that Boeing cashed successful – AviLease, an craft leasing steadfast owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealthiness fund, ordered arsenic galore arsenic 30 Boeing jets, the airplane shaper announced May 13, arsenic Trump visited Saudi Arabia.

More: Fighter jets, chandeliers, a Cybertruck: See the pomp of Trump's Middle East visit

The level Qatar has offered to Trump, by contrast, has nary terms tag, sparking concerns from some Democrats and Republicans of corruption and that it violates the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which says gifts from overseas officials and countries are disconnected limits for U.S. officials.

"The American radical should marque their disgust known: There is nary country for this benignant of flagrant disregard of the Constitution successful the skies above," Norman Eisen, Virginia Canter and Richard W. Painter – each erstwhile White House ineligible counsels – wrote successful a New York Times sentiment article.

Democratic lawmakers were besides incensed. "This cannot beryllium allowed to stand. Our overseas argumentation cannot simply beryllium a mechanics to marque Donald Trump and his household rich," Sen. Chris Murray, D-Conn., said successful a video statement.

Trump has countered that the level is simply a "gift, escaped of charge" to the Defense Department – not to him personally.

"Why should our military, and truthful our taxpayers, beryllium forced to wage hundreds of millions of Dollars erstwhile they tin get it for FREE from a state that wants to reward america for a occupation good done," helium wrote connected Truth Social successful a station successful the aboriginal greeting hours of May 14, section time, aft helium arrived successful Riyadh.

"Only a FOOL would not judge this acquisition connected behalf of our Country."

Contributing: Reuters

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Planes connected the brain: Trump inks level deals, covets jets successful Qatar