Qatar Plans $400M Boeing 747 Gift for Trump’s Interim Air Force One Amid Security Concerns

President Donald Trump is moving forward with plans to accept a Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by Qatar to serve as an interim Air Force One until Boeing delivers two new VC-25B planes. While Trump praised the donation as a generous gesture and a cost-saving measure given the age and maintenance costs of current Air Force One jets, the proposal has sparked significant national security, ethical, and legal concerns. Critics, including Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed and other Democrats, warn that using the Qatar-donated plane could pose immense counterintelligence risks by potentially exposing sensitive systems to a foreign government, and question the propriety of accepting such a gift. The White House maintains that the donation complies with legal requirements and denies any conflict of interest, describing the transaction as government-to-government. Aviation experts have also highlighted that converting the luxury 747 for presidential use will require extensive modifications, be costly, time-consuming, and may introduce security vulnerabilities, underscoring that Air Force One must meet stringent operational and security standards. The controversy reflects broader unease about the delay in Boeing's delivery of the new Air Force One jets and the implications of accepting a foreign-donated aircraft for the presidency.