WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said it has officially accepted a luxury jet plane from Qatar to use as the new Air Force One for President Donald Trump, a Defense Department spokesman said in a statement.
“The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations,” said Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman. “The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States.”
Parnell referred additional requests for information to the Air Force. NBC News reached out to Qatari officials for comment.
News that Trump was considering accepting a plane from a foreign government broke before his planned visit to Qatar last week. Delays had slowed the timeline for delivery of a Boeing contract for two jets to be used as new Air Force One planes.
The prospect of the gifted plane has drawn security and ethical concerns from lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, close Trump allies and ethics groups.
A refitting could cost $1 billion and take years to complete, more than twice the plane’s reported value, NBC News reported.
When Trump was about the plane during a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, Ramaphosa interjected, saying, “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you.”
“I wish you did,” Trump responded.
The president defended the offer before visiting Qatar last week, calling the gift “a great gesture” and saying that turning it down would be foolish. “I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane,’” the president said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
