US President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to accept a high-end Boeing 747-8 aircraft from the Qatari royal family, a move that would see the luxury jet temporarily serve as Air Force One, according to a source briefed on the matter.

The aircraft, which is one of the most luxurious private jets in existence, carries an estimated value of $400 million. The jet would later be donated to Trump’s presidential library after his time in office, the source added.

The move was seemingly confirmed by Trump himself in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, where he wrote, “So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane.”

The 747-8 in question, owned by the Qatari royal family, is still under consideration for transfer. A Qatari government spokesperson, Ali Al-Ansari, told The New York Times that “no decision has been made” yet.

Trump reportedly toured the aircraft in February when it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport, close to his Mar-a-Lago resort. According to the White House at the time, the visit was intended to help the president gain insight into how updated Air Force One models could be configured.

During Trump’s first term, he had struck a deal with Boeing to deliver two new 747-8 aircraft by 2024. However, the delivery has since been delayed. A US Air Force official recently told Congress that Boeing now estimates completion by 2027.

According to ABC News, which first broke the story, lawyers from the White House counsel’s office and the Department of Justice have reviewed the proposed arrangement and concluded that it would be both legal and constitutional for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift, and subsequently transfer it to Trump’s presidential library.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement noting that any gift from a foreign government is handled in accordance with applicable laws, and that Trump’s administration remains “committed to full transparency.”

Trump is expected to visit Qatar as part of a broader trip to the Middle East this week, though reports indicate that the aircraft will not be presented or accepted during that visit.

If finalised, the donation would become one of the most valuable gifts ever accepted by the US government.

Melissa Enoch

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