Trump planning to accept Air Force One jet from Qatar in move branded ‘bribery in plane sight’

US President Donald Trump has once again found himself caught up in controversy, after ABC News reported his administration is looking to accept a Boeing 747-8 from the Qatari royal family to be used as Air Force One during his presidency – a move which has seen the Republican accused of giving into “bribery”.

Citing sources familiar with the arrangement, ABC News says the gift will be announced next week during his visit to the country, and that shortly before his four-year term is up, it will be deposited in the Trump Presidential Library managed by the National Archives and Records Administration.

ABC News also refers to comments from a source that both Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House lawyer David Warrington decided it would be “legally permissible” for Trump to accept the gift, provided it’s transferred to the presidential library before his term is up.

Trump confirmed the gift on Sunday in a post to his Truth Social platform, writing: "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."

However, several individuals have pointed to Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the US constitution following ABC News' report, with Democrat and Texas representative Jasmine Crockett branding it a "blatant disregard for the emolument clause".

This specific section of the constitution states: “No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States” and that “no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.”

indy100 has approached the White House for comment.

Other Twitter/X users, meanwhile, have slammed the reported agreement as “bribery in plane sight”:

The Republicans Against Trump account noted the recent Trump deal to build a golf course in Qatar and claimed it was “textbook corruption”:

Maryland representative Jamie Raskin called on Trump to seek “Congressional consent” for the gift:

Meanwhile, Democratic strategist and pollster Matt McDermott wrote that the news had left him “literally speechless”:

The news is the latest instance of the Trump administration being accused of going against the US constitution, after White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller confirmed it was “looking into” suspending habeus corpus, a constitutional right which allows government detainees to petition against their detention.

Why not read…

• Trump’s four-word question to aide amid bill signing causes concern
• Trump mocked over remarks which show he ‘knows nothing about trade’

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.