- President Trump is poised to accept a jet from Qatar to be used as Air Force One.
- ABC News reported that AG Pam Bondi signed off on the potential deal.
- Trump is receiving pushback from some of his most fervent MAGA loyalists over the issue.
President Donald Trump may soon be receiving a luxury jet from Qatar, and even some of MAGA's most faithful are against it.
On Sunday, multiple outlets reported that the Qatari royal family is preparing to give the Trump administration a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, to be used as Air Force One during Trump's second term before being donated to Trump's presidential library. Though the exact value of the specific jet in question — which is 13 years old, according to ABC News — isn't clear, a new 747-8 jumbo jet fetches a whopping $400 million.
The gift has been panned by frequent Trump critics like Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, but in a notable break, some of Trump's most ardent MAGA loyalists have also criticized the potential plane deal.
"I love President Trump. I would take a bullet for him," Laura Loomer, a conservative activist and longtime Trump ally, wrote on X on Sunday. "But, I have to call a spade a spade. We cannot accept a $400 million 'gift' from jihadists in suits."
"This is really going to be such a stain on the admin if this is true. I'm so disappointed," she added.
Trump all but confirmed the news in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
"So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA," Trump wrote.
Meanwhile, Qatar's media attaché to the US, Ali Al-Ansari, told BI in a statement that the transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is "currently under consideration." The matter "remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made," Al-Ansari said.
Other Trump supporters echoed Loomer's concerns.
The radio host Mark Levin, a backer of Trump, took to X and accused Qatar of spreading "anti-American" propaganda.
"Their jet and all the other things they are buying in our country does not provide them with the cover they seek," he wrote on the social media platform.
He later wrote "Ditto" in response to Loomer's post.
Among GOP lawmakers, there was little pushback — at least for now.
But Rep. Warren Davidson, a conservative Republican from Ohio, seemingly alluded to the situation on X without specifically naming Trump.
"I recall trying to rally support for a thorough investigation of the Clinton Foundation," he wrote. "It seemed odd that a Secretary of State / Senator / First Lady / Presidential candidate could collect hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign governments with no corruption. The appearance of corruption alone screams, 'Bad idea!'"
He continued: "My views have not changed. At a minimum, 'Bad idea!'"
The news came ahead of Trump's planned visit to three Middle Eastern countries this week, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Legal experts previously told Business Insider the reported gift raises both ethical and constitutional concerns.
"Outside of the legal context, it is fair to ask whether the acceptance of this gift could give rise to an apparent conflict of interest or corruption,"Jessica Levinson, a law professor and the director of the Public Service Institute at Loyola Law School, told BI.
Another core concern is the gift's potential violation of the Constitution's foreign emoluments clause, which prohibits government officials from accepting gifts or benefits from foreign parties without consent from Congress.
Trump again defended the move from the White House on Monday, telling reporters the jet wouldn't be a gift to him personally, but to the Department of Defense.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington determined that the gifting of the jet would be "legally permissible" if it is transferred to Trump's presidential library before the end of his second term, according to ABC News.
In 2019, during Trump's first term, Bondi lobbied on behalf of the Qatari government.
In a statement to BI, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "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."
