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President Donald Trump defended the U.S. preparing to judge a jumbo pitchy acquisition from Qatar's royal household to service arsenic a impermanent Air Force One arsenic Boeing fails to rotation retired a caller Air Force One fleet successful a timely manner.
"We're precise disappointed that it's taking Boeing truthful agelong to physique a caller Air Force One," Trump said from a property league connected cause prices Monday morning. "You know, we person an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you instrumentality a look astatine that, compared to the caller level of the equivalent, you know, stature astatine the time, it's not adjacent the aforesaid ballgame."
"When I archetypal came in, I signed an bid to get (the caller Air Force One fleet) built," helium continued. "I took it implicit from the Obama administration, they had primitively agreed. I got the terms down overmuch lower. And then, erstwhile the predetermination didn't precisely enactment retired the mode that it should have, a batch of enactment was not done connected the level due to the fact that a batch of radical didn't cognize they made alteration orders. That was truthful stupid, truthful ridiculous. And it ended up being a full mess, a existent mess."
Reports dispersed Sunday greeting that the Trump medication was expected to judge a $400 cardinal Boeing 747-8 jumbo pitchy from Qatar's royal family. ABC News reported that Trump would usage the pitchy until the extremity of his term, erstwhile it would beryllium fixed to his statesmanlike library.
QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE
President Donald Trump defended the U.S. accepting a jumbo pitchy acquisition from Qatar's royal household to service arsenic a impermanent Air Force One arsenic Boeing fails to rotation retired a caller Air Force One fleet successful a timely manner. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump confirmed Sunday evening connected Truth Social that the Department of Defense would person the 747 arsenic a gift, portion railing against Democrats arsenic "world people losers" for criticizing the gift.
"So the information that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 craft to regenerate the 40 twelvemonth aged Air Force One, temporarily, successful a precise nationalist and transparent transaction, truthful bothers the Crooked Democrats that they importune we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane," Trump wrote. "Anybody tin bash that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA."
He continued successful the property league Monday that erstwhile helium returned to bureau this year, his medication informed him operation connected 2 caller Air Force Ones was "way behind" connected the docket for completion.
"If we tin get a 747 arsenic a publication to our Defense Department to usage during a mates of years portion they're gathering the different ones. I deliberation that was a precise bully gesture. Now, I could beryllium a anserine idiosyncratic to say, 'Oh, no, we don't privation a escaped plane.' We springiness escaped things, we'll instrumentality one, two, and it helps america out. Because again, we're talking astir we person a 40-year-old aircraft. The wealth we spend, the attraction we walk connected those planes to support them tippy-top is astronomical," helium added, calling the acquisition a "great motion from Qatar."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt besides brushed disconnected interest implicit the Qatari royal household donating a Boeing jumbo pitchy to the U.S. Department of Defense, arguing Monday determination volition beryllium nary quid pro quo statement and that the donation is nether ineligible reappraisal to guarantee afloat compliance with the law.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed disconnected interest implicit the Qatari royal household donating a Boeing jumbo pitchy to the U.S. Department of Defense. (Getty Images)
"The Qatari Government has graciously offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense," Leavitt said connected "Fox & Friends" Monday morning. "The ineligible details of that are inactive being worked out. But of course, immoderate donation to this authorities is ever done successful afloat compliance with the law, and we perpetrate ourselves to the utmost transparency, and we volition proceed to bash that."
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When asked if the medication was disquieted that accepting the acquisition could pb to a quid pro quo concern wherever Qatar expects thing successful return, Leavitt changeable down specified a narrative.
"Absolutely not due to the fact that they cognize President Trump, and they cognize helium lone works with the interests of the American nationalist successful mind," Leavitt responded.
President Donald Trump and archetypal woman Melania Trump measurement disconnected Air Force One. (Getty Images)
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote to the Government Accountability Office connected Sunday calling for an morals probe into the gift, claiming it would beryllium the azygous astir costly acquisition ever received by a U.S. president.
"I americium penning to explicit alarm implicit reports that President Donald Trump is poised to judge a luxury craft — a Boeing 747-8 — from the government of Qatar," Torres wrote. "The plane, truthful opulent it has been described arsenic a ‘palace successful the sky,’ is acceptable to beryllium made disposable to President Trump for authoritative usage arsenic Air Force One and past for backstage usage erstwhile helium leaves office."
"This ‘flying grift’ is simply the latest section successful a tawdry communicative of statesmanlike profiteering unprecedented successful American history," Torres added.
A Boeing 747-8 sits connected tarmac. (Getty Images)
Presidents person for decades circumvented the Emoluments Clause — which prohibits national elected officials from accepting gifts from overseas governments oregon monarchs — by classifying gifts they person portion successful bureau arsenic gifts to the bureau of the president. Those gifts are past cataloged and stored arsenic portion of their statesmanlike libraries aft leaving office.
While presidents support immoderate level of entree to the items successful their libraries, they bash not ain them straight and indispensable acquisition them from the national authorities successful bid to unafraid backstage ownership.
Leavitt said successful remark to Fox Digital Monday greeting that each gifts received by a overseas authorities would beryllium supra committee and successful compliance with the law.
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"Any acquisition fixed by a overseas authorities is ever accepted successful afloat compliance with each applicable laws," Leavitt said. "President Trump's Administration is committed to afloat transparency."
Trump is headed to the Middle East and is expected to conscionable with leaders successful Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. A Trump medication authoritative confirmed to Fox News Digital that the level volition not beryllium presented to the president nor accepted by Trump during his travel abroad.
The existent Air Force One fleet includes 2 aging planes, some of which are much than 30 years aged and person been eyed for replacement since astatine slightest the Obama administration.
A Trump medication authoritative confirmed to Fox News Digital that the level volition not beryllium presented to the president nor accepted by President Donald Trump during his travel abroad. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Trump railed against a authorities woody with Boeing to physique a caller fleet of Air Force Ones up of his archetypal administration, posting to societal media successful December 2016 that the "costs are retired of control, much than $4 billion" to physique the 2 aircraft.
Trump successful 2018 awarded Boeing a $3.9 cardinal fixed-price statement to manufacture 2 caller jets. The operation of the jets, however, is not expected to beryllium completed until 2029.
"Boeing is arrogant to physique the adjacent procreation of Air Force One, providing American Presidents with a flying White House astatine outstanding worth to taxpayers. President Trump negotiated a bully woody connected behalf of the American people," Boeing said successful 2018 aft ironing retired a woody with Trump for the instauration of the caller fleet.
"The imaginable transportation of an craft for impermanent usage arsenic Air Force One is presently nether information betwixt Qatar's Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, but the substance remains nether reappraisal by the respective ineligible departments, and nary determination has been made," Qatari embassy authoritative Ali Al-Ansari told ABC News Sunday.
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When not successful bureau arsenic president, Trump has traveled successful his backstage Boeing 757 jet, dubbed Trump Force One. That pitchy is famously emblazoned with Trump's past sanction and was often seen successful the backdrop of run rallies.
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