Trump Defends Qatar Jumbo Jet Offer As Troubled Boeing Fails To Deliver New Air Force One Fleet

President Donald Trump defended nan U.S. preparing to judge a jumbo pitchy gift from Qatar's royal family 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 very disappointed that it's taking Boeing truthful agelong to build a caller Air Force One," Trump said from a property convention connected supplier prices Monday morning. "You know, we person an Air Force One that's 40 years old. And if you return a look astatine that, compared to nan caller level of nan equivalent, you know, stature astatine nan time, it's not moreover nan aforesaid ballgame." 

"When I first came in, I signed an bid to get (the caller Air Force One fleet) built," he continued. "I took it complete from nan Obama administration, they had primitively agreed. I sewage nan value down overmuch lower. And then, erstwhile nan predetermination didn't precisely activity retired nan measurement that it should have, a batch of activity was not done connected nan level because a batch of group 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 nan Trump management was expected to judge a $400 cardinal Boeing 747-8 jumbo pitchy from Qatar's royal family. ABC News reported that Trump would usage nan pitchy until nan 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 nan U.S. accepting a jumbo pitchy gift from Qatar's royal family 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 nan Department of Defense would person nan 747 arsenic a gift, while railing against Democrats arsenic "world people losers" for criticizing nan gift.  

"So nan truth that nan Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 craft to switch nan 40 twelvemonth aged Air Force One, temporarily, successful a very nationalist and transparent transaction, truthful bothers nan Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for nan plane," Trump wrote. "Anybody tin do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA."

He continued successful nan property convention Monday that erstwhile he returned to agency this year, his management informed him building connected 2 caller Air Force Ones was "way behind" connected nan schedule for completion. 

TRUMP TEASES 'VERY, VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT' AHEAD OF MIDDLE EAST TRIP, CARNEY SAYS HE'S 'ON EDGE OF MY SEAT'

"If we tin get a 747 arsenic a publication to our Defense Department to usage during a mates of years while they're building nan different ones. I deliberation that was a very bully gesture. Now, I could beryllium a stupid personification to say, 'Oh, no, we don't want a free plane.' We springiness free things, we'll return one, two, and it helps america out. Because again, we're talking astir we person a 40-year-old aircraft. The money we spend, nan attraction we walk connected those planes to support them tippy-top is astronomical," he added, calling nan gift a "great motion from Qatar." 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt besides brushed disconnected interest complete nan Qatari royal family donating a Boeing jumbo pitchy to nan U.S. Department of Defense, arguing Monday location will beryllium nary quid pro quo statement and that nan aid is nether ineligible reappraisal to guarantee afloat compliance pinch nan law. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed disconnected interest complete nan Qatari royal family donating a Boeing jumbo pitchy to nan 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 specifications of that are still being worked out. But of course, immoderate aid to this authorities is ever done successful afloat compliance pinch nan law, and we perpetrate ourselves to nan utmost transparency, and we will proceed to do that."

TRUMP STAFFERS LOAD BOXES OF ITEMS SEIZED BY FBI IN 2022 MAR-A-LAGO RAID ONTO AIR FORCE ONE

When asked if nan management was worried that accepting nan gift could lead to a quid pro quo business wherever Qatar expects thing successful return, Leavitt changeable down specified a narrative. 

"Absolutely not because they cognize President Trump, and they cognize he only useful pinch nan interests of nan American nationalist successful mind," Leavitt responded. 

President Donald Trump and first woman Melania Trump measurement disconnected Air Force One. (Getty Images)

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., wrote to nan Government Accountability Office connected Sunday calling for an morals investigation into nan gift, claiming it would beryllium nan azygous astir costly gift ever received by a U.S. president. 

"I americium penning to definitive siren complete reports that President Donald Trump is poised to judge a luxury craft — a Boeing 747-8 — from nan government of Qatar," Torres wrote. "The plane, truthful opulent it has been described arsenic a ‘palace successful nan sky,’ is group to beryllium made disposable to President Trump for charismatic usage arsenic Air Force One and past for backstage usage erstwhile he leaves office." 

"This ‘flying grift’ is simply nan 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 nan Emoluments Clause — which prohibits national elected officials from accepting gifts from overseas governments aliases monarchs — by classifying gifts they person while successful agency arsenic gifts to nan agency of nan 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 nan items successful their libraries, they do not ain them straight and must acquisition them from nan 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 pinch nan law. 

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR 'IMMEDIATE' ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP

"Any gift fixed by a overseas authorities is ever accepted successful afloat compliance pinch each applicable laws," Leavitt said. "President Trump's Administration is committed to afloat transparency." 

Trump is headed to nan Middle East and is expected to meet pinch leaders successful Saudi Arabia, Qatar and nan United Arab Emirates. A Trump management charismatic confirmed to Fox News Digital that nan level will not beryllium presented to nan 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 nan Obama administration. 

A Trump management charismatic confirmed to Fox News Digital that nan level will not beryllium presented to nan president nor accepted by President Donald Trump during his travel abroad.  (Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Trump railed against a authorities woody pinch Boeing to build a caller fleet of Air Force Ones up of his first administration, posting to societal media successful December 2016 that nan "costs are retired of control, much than $4 billion" to build nan 2 aircraft.

Trump successful 2018 awarded Boeing a $3.9 cardinal fixed-price statement to manufacture 2 caller jets. The building of nan jets, however, is not expected to beryllium completed until 2029. 

"Boeing is proud to build nan adjacent procreation of Air Force One, providing American Presidents pinch a flying White House astatine outstanding worth to taxpayers. President Trump negotiated a bully woody connected behalf of nan American people," Boeing said successful 2018 aft ironing retired a woody pinch Trump for nan creation of nan 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 nan U.S. Department of Defense, but nan matter remains nether reappraisal by nan respective ineligible departments, and nary determination has been made," Qatari embassy charismatic Ali Al-Ansari told ABC News Sunday. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

When not successful agency arsenic president, Trump has traveled successful his backstage Boeing 757 jet, dubbed Trump Force One. That pitchy is famously emblazoned pinch Trump's past sanction and was often seen successful nan backdrop of run rallies.