President Donald Trump continued to defend his decision to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar during an exclusive interview with Sean Hannity on Air Force One on Tuesday.
Trump has received backlash for planning to accept the jumbo Boeing 747-8 jet from the Qatari royal family since news of the gift broke on Sunday.
‘Now, some people say, ‘oh, you shouldn’t accept gifts for the country.’ My attitude is, why wouldn’t I accept the gift? We’re giving to everybody else? Why wouldn’t I accept the gift?’ the president said to Hannity.
The luxury jet, which was offered to the United States because of delays in Boeing’s production of the new Air Force One fleet, will serve as a temporary method of transportation so that the current presidential plane doesn’t have to be flown.
Trump has said AF1 is nearly 40 years old and looks ‘much less impressive’ when compared to the planes in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.
‘You know, we’re the United States of America. I believe that we should have the most impressive plane,’ Trump told Hannity.
In addition to Boeing running behind on delivering the new fleet, the jumbo jet is a gift to the Department of Defense for ‘a job well done’ in successfully defending Qatar ‘for many years,’ Trump added on Truth Social a few hours after the interview.
‘Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,’ he wrote.
Trump has said the plane will be retired to the presidential library once Boeing delivers its new AF1 fleet.
The president will be in Qatar on Wednesday for the next stop of his three-day visit to the Middle East, marking his first major international trip of his second term.
He spent Tuesday in Saudi Arabia meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.