Donald Trump May Temporarily Use Qatar’s $400 Million 'Flying Palace' As Air Force One Amid Ethics Scrutiny

US President Donald Trump may soon be flying aboard a lavish Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet originally owned by the Qatari royal family, as Washington and Doha discuss a potential transfer of the aircraft during Trump's forthcoming visit to the Middle East.

US officials told ABC News that the $400 million aircraft could be used as a provisional version of Air Force One until Trump leaves office in January 2029.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

After that, it is expected to be handed over to the foundation responsible for his presidential library.

Initial reports claimed the aircraft would be gifted to the US during Trump's visits to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, Qatari officials promptly dismissed those claims.

"Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate," said Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar's media attaché, in an official statement.

He clarified that "the possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar's Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense," and stressed that "the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made."

Legal Questions Over Jet's Use

Behind closed doors, White House legal staff have reportedly drafted a justification in anticipation of concerns over whether Trump's use of the jet might breach constitutional limits on accepting gifts from foreign powers.

The Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution prohibits federal officials from accepting any "present, emolument, office or title" from any "King, Prince, or foreign State" without congressional consent.

However, the administration argues that since Trump would not personally own the aircraft and it would only be used temporarily, it would not constitute a breach of the clause.

Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert from Washington University School of Law, criticised the move, saying Trump was "committed to exploiting the federal government's power, not on behalf of policy goals, but for amassing personal wealth."

"This is outrageous," she said. "Trump believes he will get away with this."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer mocked Trump's "America First" slogan, stating, "Nothing says 'America First' like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar. It's not just bribery, it's premium foreign influence with extra legroom."

Although dubbed a "flying palace" in some headlines, Qatari authorities maintain that no agreement has yet been finalised regarding the plane's transfer.

Air Force One Delays and Modifications

The current Air Force One fleet consists of two heavily modified Boeing 747s, both over 30 years old. Boeing is building replacements, ordered during Trump's first term, but delivery has been delayed-now projected for 2027 and 2028.

Trump is reportedly planning to retrofit the Qatari aircraft for presidential use, with the US Air Force expected to install secure communications and other classified technologies. However, sources note that the plane would still lack many of the defence capabilities of the existing Air Force One fleet, including radiation shielding and anti-missile systems.

A former US official, speaking anonymously, said that although some modifications such as communications upgrades could be made quickly, the Qatari jet would remain less capable than the current or forthcoming Air Force One aircraft.

Unlike the VC-25A aircraft presently in use, neither the Qatari jet nor the upcoming VC-25B models will include air-to-air refuelling capacity.

The aircraft in question is said to be similar to a 13-year-old Boeing plane that Trump toured in February at Palm Beach International Airport during a visit to his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Ethics Concerns and Business Ties

Trump previously faced lawsuits over violations of the Emoluments Clause during his first term, but the US Supreme Court dismissed them in 2021, deeming them moot after Trump left office.

Clark said the latest episode is the "logical, inevitable, unfortunate consequence of Congress and the Supreme Court refusing to enforce" the clause.

The Trump Organisation, now primarily managed by Trump's sons, maintains expanding interests in the Middle East-including a recent luxury golf resort deal in Qatar with Qatari Diar, a real estate company backed by the country's sovereign wealth fund.

Though administration officials deny any conflict of interest, pointing to a trust structure and a voluntary ethics agreement that bars direct deals with foreign governments, the same policy allows contracts with foreign private firms-a shift from Trump's first term when such deals were banned entirely.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called concerns over the president mixing official business with private interests "ridiculous," stating that Trump "is doing nothing for his own benefit."