President Donald Trump took time out during his Middle East trip Tuesday to make the case for accepting the gift of a luxury jet from the government of Qatar as the offer faces mounting criticism from members of his own party.

Despite flying for more than 35 years, the current pair of Air Force One jets remain one of the safest and secure aircraft in the world.

Trump’s plan to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar has ignited a full-blown firestorm among Democrats in Congress

Article I includes a ban on anyone serving in government accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State” unless Congress approves. Article II says, in part, that the president cannot receive any emolument from a U.S. state.

Trump is in talks to accept a luxury Boeing 747 as a gift from the royal family of Qatar, a move CT Sen. Chris Murphy opposes.

Qatari officials said the plane was being given by the Qatari Ministry of Defense to the Pentagon but Trump said the Boeing 747-8 jet will be used as Air Force One—the official presidential plane and according to multiple reports, after he leaves office, it will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation.

In May 2025, the nation of Qatar gave the Department of Defense a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to be remodeled into a new Air Force One.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and GOP firebrand senators are among those voicing discomfort with the deal.