Qatar's $400 million jet offered as free Air Force One stop-gap, but security and tech overhauls would cost millions

[Ben Myers]

Anybody wanna bet that the acquisition of this will never happen?

 

[wiyosaya]

Unfortunately none of those are actual GOP Senators. The only people who could stop it since GOP controls Congress.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/14/politics/bondi-justice-department-trump-qatar-747

"Bondi, who previously lobbied on behalf of the Qatari government, also consulted with career ethics officials, the official said, who determined there was no conflict that would require her recusal."

There are so many layers of corruption in this.

They are people who support Trump and his minions, in other words, Voters. If those voters are pissed-off enough, they won't vote for the people who are letting Trump get away with his crap. Therefore, I disagree that they cannot do anything.

 

[wiyosaya]

Can we stop with the political in your face articles, it's embarrasing.

Um, No. Not when they represent the "inconvenient truth."

 

[wiyosaya]

Trump is either a genius or leaders have learned how to manipulate him. He was just talking about them funding terrorism in a few years ago, now he's building businesses there and snagged a plane.

If this is a multiple choice question, I choose the latter.

 

[wiyosaya]

Somehow, this “gift” isn’t considered a “National Security” risk, the same argument being used to buy (or take over) Greenland by the same Manchurian Candidate. How people can’t see what a charade politics is, especially at this point, is beyond the pale.

By most everyone reasonable, which does not include Trump, it is considered a national security risk.

 

[Ben Myers]

There will likely be another fight in court about this. To make the Qatari 747 into the latest 15-year old Air Force One would be pissing away millions, as much as a billion, for a plane to make Trump more vulnerable. Maybe it is a good idea after all? Nobody knows what sort of surveillance gear is inside the Qatari plane.

 

[Au Contraire]

The biggest issue is that this bribe is not to the President of the US, it's to Trump himself. DoD is taking ownership of it temporarily then gifting it to Trump himself at the end of his term for his private use. His jet is probably falling apart and wants a new one for free and to use tax payer funding to retrofit it for himself and his family.

What's your source for this? DoD does not have authority to "gift" thngs of this nature; there is a very specific federal code which covers this type of transaction.

 

[Squid Surprise]

What's your source for this? DoD does not have authority to "gift" thngs of this nature; there is a very specific federal code which covers this type of transaction.

I believe here:

Experts: Qatar-gifted Air Force One may be security, upgrade disaster

Upgrading a Qatar-donated 747 into a new Air Force One would take a large sum of money and years to complete, aviation experts said.

www.defensenews.com

"The Air Force would take possession of the 13-year-old plane and modify it to be suitable for presidential use, ABC reported, and it would be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation by the end of 2028."

 

[jeffbert]

An excess of 95% of the comments in this topic are not only political, but attacks on Trump.

My own comment is that even if this complex machine is pure, who who dare to assume it is? Thus, they might as well take it completely apart, verify the integrity of even the smallest parts, & reassemble it. How much time & money to do that + adding all the stuff to make it Airforce 1, too much trouble to bother with it.