Donald Trump has sparked fury as he is reportedly ready to accept a new £300million jet gifted by Qatar’s royal family that is described as a “palace in the sky”. Critics have claimed it signals bribery and corruption, The Guardian reports.
ABC reports that the aircraft will be available for use by the US President as the new Air Force One until shortly before the conclusion of his second term. Then the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, it is believed. Sources familiar with the matter say that handover is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar. This is to be his first foreign trip since he was re-elected in November. The President is said to have already toured the plane when it was at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February. It has been reported that officials have prepared an analysis arguing that accepting the gift would be legal.
The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, Article I, Section 9, Clause 8, forbids anyone holding government office from accepting any present, emolument, office or title from any “King, Prince, or foreign State” without congressional consent.
Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat and former constitutional law professor, said on X: “Trump must seek Congress’ consent to take this $300million gift from Qatar. The Constitution is perfectly clear: no present ‘of any kind whatever’ from a foreign state without Congressional permission.
“A gift you use for four years and then deposit in your library is still a gift (and a grift).”
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, said: “[it] seems pretty clear that a $400 million ‘air palace’ from a foreign emir qualifies. The corruption is brazen.”
According to a former US official who was briefed about the plane and spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, the new aircraft would have more limited capabilities than the planes that have been previously built to serve as Air Force One, as well as two others already under construction.
The aircraft are usually significantly modified in preperation for a range of scenarios. This includes the installation of radiation shielding and anti-missile technology.
The planes also include crucial communications systems that allow the President to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world.
These were evident on 9/11, when President Bush and his staff spent hours in the air in order to protect the adminstration for further attack.
The anonymous official added that neither the Qatari plane nor an upcoming VC-25B aircraft will have the air-to-air refuelling capabilities of the current VC-25A aircraft.
A Qatari official has said that it is not a gift to Trump, individually, according to The Times of India, but is more of a government-to-government transaction.