Conservative radio personality Erick Erickson issued a scathing rebuke of President Donald Trump on Monday over his decision to accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 aircraft from the Qatari royal family—a move that has drawn growing bipartisan scrutiny.
Erickson, a longtime voice in right-wing media, rejected the idea that the gift was technically a bribe or outright corruption but argued that the symbolic and moral implications of accepting such a gift from Qatar were deeply troubling.
“This is my problem with taking the plane from Qatar. It’s not that it’s a bribe. It’s not that it’s corrupt,” Erickson said on his program.
“My problem with taking this plane from Qatar is I do not think the president of the United States of America should sit and fly on a plane purchased with the same money used to murder American citizens.”
Erickson called the energy-rich Gulf state “a rogue regime that is not our friend” while lamenting the fact that “many people in Washington, DC, treat Qatar the way they treated China 20 years ago, as if it’s some innocent country that’s just involved in things.”
The Qatari government has drawn criticism for its financial and diplomatic ties to Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union.
While Qatar has denied directly funding terror operations, it has long provided sanctuary for Hamas’s political leadership and funneled billions into the Gaza Strip.
The nation also maintains friendly ties with Iran, further raising concerns among critics of the Trump administration’s foreign entanglements.
Erickson also took aim at Attorney General Pam Bondi, highlighting her previous work as a paid lobbyist for the Qatari government before joining Trump’s cabinet.
“Pam Bondi… was a lobbyist for Qatar. She made $119,000 a month,” he said.
“I don’t think that we should agree with Pam Bondi saying, ‘Oh, yes, Qatar can gift this to the Department of Defense on condition it goes to the Trump Presidential Library.’ I think she’s opening Donald Trump up to legal trouble later.”
Qatar, he argued, spends vast sums to “improve its image while paying terrorists to murder American citizens.”
“I do not think the president’s Air Force One substitute should be a plane bought with the same money used to kill American citizens,” Erickson said.
Republican lawmakers have also voiced concerns. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) criticized the optics of the gift, telling Punchbowl News: “I don’t think it looks good or smells good.”
“Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
A White House official told The Post that while it is true that Qatar offered to donate a plane to the Pentagon, the gift won’t be “presented nor accepted this week” while the president is in Qatar. He is scheduled to visit the country on Wednesday.
While Qatar’s ties to Hamas have sparked controversy, its role as host of the group’s political leadership was initially encouraged by both the United States and Israel.
The idea was that Qatar could serve as a neutral intermediary, helping broker ceasefires and facilitating indirect negotiations, especially during hostage crises or flare-ups in Gaza.
Over the years, Qatar has supplied billions in humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip — often with quiet coordination from Israel. Critics argue this aid has indirectly propped up Hamas’s authority in the region, even as its stated purpose has been to relieve poverty and repair infrastructure.
At the same time, Qatar remains one of America’s most important military partners in the region.
The Al Udeid Air Base, located near Doha, houses the largest US military presence in the Middle East and serves as a key operations hub for US Central Command.
