RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Trump said Monday he was “disappointed” in Boeing for not being quick enough to refurbish Air Force One — and praised Qatar for offering him a free luxury jet valued at $400 million to use while in office.
“We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” Trump told reporters at the White House — noting that the current presidential aircraft is 40 years old and not in the same “ball game” as current planes used by other heads of state, especially in the Arab world.
“They’re way behind. They were way behind, another mess that I inherited from Biden, and it’s going to be a while before we get them,” Trump said of the Washington state-based aerospace giant.
“And I think Qatar, who has really — we’ve helped them a lot over the years in terms of security and safety — I felt they, I think they — and very, very nicely — and I have a lot of respect for the leadership and for the leader.”
The offer is “a very nice gesture,” the president added, telling reporters that he would take the plane.
The plane would be donated to the Department of Defense, and Trump said he would only use it while in office — by which time Boeing’s plane should be ready — before donating the Qatar jet to his presidential library.
“If we can get a 747, as a contribution to our Defense Department to use a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture. Now I could be a stupid person to say, ‘Oh no, we don’t want a free plane.’”
“We give free things out. We’ll take one too, and it helps us out. Because, again, we’re talking about we have 40-year-old aircraft.”
The offer by Qatar has raised alarms among ethics watchdogs, who have raised questions about the possibility of a quid pro quo expectation of Washington by Doha.
Trump lambasted an ABC reporter for raising that criticism Monday, calling it a “stupid question.”
“Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency.”
Trump will visit Qatar on the second leg of his trip to the Middle East this week.
A White House official told The Post Monday that the plane will neither be presented nor accepted during Trump’s time in the emirate.
