Democrats Introduce Bill to Block Qatar’s 747 ‘Gift’ to Trump

Proposal would prevent any aircraft once owned by a foreign government from being used as Air Force One.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at 01:10 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One, a modified Boeing 747-200 referred to by the military as VC-25A [Credit: Shutterstock/Evan El-Amin]

Key Takeaways:

Senate Democrats introduced the "Presidential Airlift Security Act of 2025" to prevent President Trump from using a luxury Boeing 747-8i offered by Qatar as Air Force One.
The proposed bill aims to prohibit the use of any foreign government-owned aircraft for presidential airlift, citing national security concerns, potential foreign influence, and the significant costs and time required for modifications.
Critics argue the "gift" could be a bribe and a security risk, while Trump and Qatar maintain it's a normal goodwill gesture between allies, though reports suggest the U.S. government initially sought a replacement aircraft from foreign sources.

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Senate Democrats on Monday introduced a bill aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from accepting a luxury Boeing 747-8i from the government of Qatar.

The Presidential Airlift Security Act of 2025 would bar the use of Department of Defense funding to procure, modify, restore, or maintain “an aircraft previously owned by a foreign government, an entity controlled by a foreign government, or a representative of a foreign government for the purposes of providing presidential airlift options.”