The Trump administration has accepted the “unconditional donation” of a luxury plane from Qatar, without stipulation about what should happen with the aircraft after President Donald Trump leaves the position, according to an agreement reviewed by ABC News.
The Memorandum of Understanding, or Mou, was signed earlier this month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Minister of State for Defense Affairs of Qatar, Soud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
The agreement paves the way for the Air Force to begin the process of modernization of the plane, called “flying palace” due to its luxurious finishes, for the use of the president.
The sources told ABC News earlier this year that after the president left the position, the plan demanded to transfer the property of the plane to the foundation of the Trump presidential library.
A Qatari Boeing 747 is located at Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump toured the plane, on February 15, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP through Getty Images
The cost of renewing the plane is classified, although legislators have speculated that it could cost up to $ 1 billion.
The Air Force sent questions about the agreement to the Hegseth office, which referred a reporter to the Air Force.
“Why would we ask the US taxpayer to spend more than $ 1 billion on an airplane that would only be used for a few months and then transfer directly to the president? That does not sound like a wise use of taxpayers’ dollars,” Senator Chris Murphy, Dn.y., said during a Senate audience in June.
The secretary of the Air Force, Troy Meink, told the legislators that the money to renew the plane would be removed from a program aimed at replacing aging nuclear missiles, called the Intercontinental Balistic missile program Sentinel.
But Meink said that the Centinela nuclear program, which is above the budget, would not be impacted immediately because it was restructuring.
Trump has long complained about the main plane used in the current Air Force One fleet, which are the Jumbo 747-200 Jumbo aircraft that have been operational since 1990. The Air Force is under contract with Boeing to replace those planes.
“The aircraft is donated in its current condition (” as is “), without guarantees, unless otherwise remembered in future arrangements,” says the new Memo.
“The donation is unconditional, and the DOD can use or eliminate the aircraft to its exclusive criteria, in any way it deems appropriate, provided that such use or disposition remains in accordance with the laws of the United States,” adds the memorandum later.
Nothing in the agreement must be “interpreted or interpreted” as “an offer, promise or acceptance of any form of bribery, undue influence or corrupt practice,” adds the memorandum, calling it a “gift of good faith.”
Washington Post reported for the first time the details of the agreement.
