Qatar is said to be giving Trump a new plane

President Trump, seen present boarding Air Force One Joint Base Andrews connected March 21, is said to person been offered a caller level by Qatar. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The Trump medication is successful talks with the Qatari authorities astir accepting a luxury Boeing 747 airplane, a elder White House authoritative said, that could temporarily service arsenic Air Force One.

The offer, which was archetypal reported by ABC News, comes connected the eve of Trump's sojourn to the Middle East. The president is scheduled to sojourn Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The elder White House official, who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to talk publicly, confirmed that Qatar has offered to donate a level to the Department of Defense, but said the acquisition volition not beryllium presented nor accepted this week portion successful Qatar.

ABC and The New York Times reported that the level would beryllium donated to Trump's statesmanlike room erstwhile helium leaves office. The connection would beryllium 1 of the biggest overseas gifts ever received by the U.S. government, and raises ineligible and ethical questions.

Trump pushed backmost against those concerns successful a station connected his Truth societal Sunday night.

He wrote: "So the information that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 craft to regenerate the 40 twelvemonth aged Air Force One, temporarily, successful a precise nationalist and transparent transaction, truthful bothers the Crooked Democrats that they importune we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody tin bash that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!"

Karoline Leavitt, the White House spokeswoman, said that immoderate "gift fixed by a overseas authorities is ever accepted successful afloat compliance with each applicable laws."

"President Trump's Administration is committed to afloat transparency," she said.

Democrats questioned whether the woody was adjacent legal.

"This isn't a bully thought adjacent if the level was being donated to the U.S. government," Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said connected X. "But Trump GET TO KEEP THE PLANE??? It's simply a currency outgo to Trump successful speech for favors. Just wildly illegal."

In his archetypal term, Trump struck a woody with Boeing to proviso the adjacent procreation of Air Force One. Under the presumption of that deal, Trump agreed to wage $3.9 cardinal for 2 customized 747s. But the president has expressed vexation astir the clip the beleaguered craft shaper is taking to present the aircraft.