President Donald Trump reiterated his defense on Tuesday for accepting Qatar’s offer of a luxury jet to be used as Air Force One for the remainder of his presidency.
During a conversation with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Air Force One, Trump addressed the criticism of his decision to accept the contentious gift, standing by his choice despite significant backlash.
‘The plane you are currently on is nearly 40 years old,’ Trump stated, pointing out the age of Air Force One and highlighting that the Boeing jets acquired by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar are ‘brand new 747s.’
‘You see ours next to it. This is like a totally different plane. It’s much smaller and less impressive, as impressive as it is,’ Trump said. ‘We are the United States of America I believe we should have the most impressive plane.’
He expressed his frustration that Boeing had still not delivered the new Air Force One, even though he signed the deal to order new planes.
‘It’s pretty much the same plane with a new paint color if you want to know the truth,’ he said. ‘We are painting it red, white, and blue like the American flag which is incredible. Much more beautiful and much more representative of us.’
The 747-8 offered by the Qataris is considered more fuel efficient and quiet but it is most notable for it’s luxurious interior, designed by famed French design firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet.
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures, while he boards Air Force One
A new Boeing 747 sits on the tarmac of Palm Beach International airport after US President Donald Trump toured the aircraft on February 15, 2025
The current Air Force One Boeing 747 airplane
‘I’m not happy with Boeing,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to hurt Boeing but they are very late with the plane.’
Trump said he expressed his complaints about Air Force One to Qatari leaders who indicated they wanted to help.
‘Some people say you shouldn’t accept gifts,’ Trump says. ‘My attitude is why wouldn’t I accept a gift, we are giving to everybody else, why wouldn’t I accept a gift?’
Trump said he thought it was a ‘beautiful gesture’ from Qatar and decided to accept it.
‘There are those that say we shouldn’t be accepting gifts in the Defense Department and I would say only a stupid person would say that,’ he concluded.
Trump said the United States spent trillions of dollars to help secure nations overseas, including in Qatar, so it only made sense to accept gifts in return.
The interior of the luxury plane offered to President Donald Trump
The 747-8 is considered more fuel efficient and quiet
‘We give a lot of gifts, too many gifts to be honest with you,’ he said. ‘We give gifts to defend countries that wouldn’t even exist, all over the world countries wouldn’t even exist.’
The gift of the Qatari plane would be complicated as it would need to be heavily retrofitted to meet the security and infrastructure necessary to transport the president of the United States.
Air Force One has unique secure communications systems, midair refueling capabilities, missile defense systems, and electronic jamming capabilities to protect the president of the United States.
The new planes contracted to Boeing to serve as Air Force One, however, have been fraught with delays, despite the initial contract delivery date of 2024.
Currently, the Boeing supplied Air Force One planes are expected to take as a long as 2029 until they are delivered. Costs for the project have now ballooned to $5.3 billion despite the original $3.9 billion estimate.
