Donald Trump will accept a luxury jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family to be used as a new Air Force One.
The aircraft, worth about $400 million (£300 million), will be available to the president throughout his second term, before being transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation in 2029, sources told US media.
It means Mr Trump will be able to use the jet as a private citizen after leaving office, raising ethical and constitutional questions about buying influence.
The gift comes as the president prepares for his first major foreign trip, touring Gulf states as he seeks a number of deals on security and US investment.
Mr Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar while his family boosts its private business interests in the region.
Last month, the Trump Organisation struck its first luxury real estate deal in Qatar, planning a billion-dollar skyscraper in Dubai where apartments can be bought with cryptocurrency.
Mr Trump’s son Eric recently moved to Dubai to promote his crypto firm, while Don Jr, another son, was preparing to visit Doha to talk about “monetising MAGA”.
Dubai is the site of a Trump International golf course, while Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, includes a high-rise apartment block belonging to the family.
Asked whether Mr Trump would make visits or meetings linked to his own business interests or that of his family, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said it was “ridiculous” to “even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit”.
She added that Mr Trump had “lost money for being president”.
The Boeing 747-8, known as a “palace in the sky”, will undergo a rapid overhaul to equip it to the unique military specifications needed to carry the US president.
Thought to be one of the most expensive ever received by the US government, it has been claimed the jet might violate the constitutional ban on gifts from foreign states.
But the White House and Department of Justice argued that the gift was not unconstitutional because it was not given to an individual.
The gift was set to be announced during Mr Trump’s visit to Qatar on Tuesday, the first overseas trip of his second term. He hopes to use the visit to secure investment from the oil-rich monarchy.
During his first term, Mr Trump ordered two new Air Force One jumbo jets from Boeing to replace the ageing pair that have been in service since the first Bush presidency.
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