U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to receive a luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift during his upcoming visit to Qatar this week - an aircraft dubbed by some as a "flying palace" Aviation experts estimate the plane's value to be around $400 million.
Trump toured the jet last February while it was parked at West Palm Beach Airport in Florida, not far from his Mar-a-Lago estate. According to a Sunday afternoon report by ABC News, citing sources familiar with the emerging agreement, the jet is being gifted by the ruling family of Qatar.
It could potentially be used by Trump as one of his “Air Force One” aircraft—the term for planes designated for use by the U.S. president.
The announcement of the transfer is expected to be made during Trump’s visit to Qatar on Thursday, following his stop in Saudi Arabia and ahead of his arrival in the United Arab Emirates. If confirmed, it would likely be the most expensive gift ever given to the United States by a foreign government.
ABC noted the extraordinary nature of the arrangement, which raises legal questions. However, sources told the network that Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, and White House counsel David Warrington reviewed the matter and concluded that receiving the jet would be legal, on the condition that ownership is transferred by the end of Trump’s presidency to the legal entity that will manage his presidential library.
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According to the sources, the 13-year-old aircraft will first be transferred to the U.S. Air Force, which will carry out the necessary upgrades to meet military standards required for a presidential aircraft.
Under the proposed legal arrangement, the plane must be handed over to Trump’s presidential library no later than Jan. 1, 2029, toward the end of his second term. The sources emphasized that any costs associated with the ownership transfer would be covered by the U.S. Air Force.