It's not a gift: they went cap in hand , bowed to the Qatari Royal family and pleaded for it. New report blows apart Trump claim about free Qatari jet President Donald Trump has repeatedly characterized the $400 million luxury Boeing 747 the government of Qatar offered him as a "gift" — but according to CNN, it turns out the Trump administration asked them for the plane first. Specifically, reported Alex Marquardt, Kristen Holmes, and Natasha Bertrand, administration officials "first approached Qatar to inquire about acquiring a Boeing 747 that could be used as Air Force One by President Donald Trump, four sources familiar with the discussions told CNN. The Defense Department ultimately reached out to Qatar, proposing that they supply the aircraft originally, with the thinking that it could be a lease arrangement, but the idea quickly evolved into Qatar simply giving over the jet. All of this stands in contrast to Trump's characterization of the arrangement, as he "repeatedly described the potential deal as a 'gesture' or 'contribution' from Qatar’s royal family," noted the report. "A 'GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE,' he wrote on his social media site Truth Social. He said it would be a temporary replacement for Air Force One and given to his presidential library after he leaves office but denied he would fly in the plane then." Amid even some members of Trump's party feeling uneasy about the transaction, particularly as it came at the same time Trump was headed to the Middle East to ink diplomatic and business deals, the president has defended his actions, saying he would have to be a "stupid person" to turn down a "free plane" from a foreign government.
So, the "gift" has been approved, but will cost a billion to upgrade and take years to do it. WTF? Upgrade to what? The fucking Star Trek Enterprise? This country is so fucked up it would be comical of not so God damn tragic.
and the Boeing Air Force one will be delivered in like 2027 while this will be done in 2029. however the nice thing about the Qatari jet is that it will be donated to trumps presidential library in 2028 and will be available for his personal use. Trump killed a bunch of starving kids in Africa to save American tax payers 100mm and will now cost the tax payers 1bn for himself plus he owes the Qataris a huge favor. (The same family that funded ISIS).
Though... They probably have to strip out a bunch of the military upgrades before transferring it to the liebrary. It would be a shame if it got wrecked doing that.