GOP Senators Express Concerns Over Trump Acceptance of Qatari Jet Gift

Several Republican senators have expressed concerns over President Donald Trump's plan to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 luxury jet from the Qatari royal family to replace Air Force One. Senators like Rick Scott and Josh Hawley have raised ethical, security, and legal questions, including worries about Qatar's ties to Hamas and the constitutionality of accepting such a gift under the Emoluments Clause. The White House and Trump defended the acceptance, stating the plane would be handed over to Trump's presidential library after his term and that legal details are still being worked out. A Qatari official described the transaction as a government-to-government gift from the Qatari Ministry of Defense to the Pentagon, which plans to retrofit the plane for presidential use. Ethics experts and senators emphasize the need to ensure compliance with U.S. law, with some insisting Air Force One should instead be a U.S.-made aircraft. Trump dismissed critics of the deal as politically motivated, calling them "World Class Losers."