The Qatari royal household has proposed gifting President Donald Trump a luxurious Boeing 747-8 aircraft to make use of as a brief Air Power One throughout his remaining time within the White Home. The plane would then be donated to his presidential basis after he leaves workplace, opening up the potential of Trump utilizing it for private journey. (Whereas the New York Occasions reported {that a} Qatari official mentioned the proposal is nonetheless being mentioned, Trump plans to simply accept the present — although he instructed reporters on Monday that he wouldn’t use the aircraft as soon as his presidency ends.)
The aircraft is estimated to price round $400 million, and Democrats have criticized the thought of the president receiving such an costly present. “This isn’t regular. That is blatant corruption,” Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts wrote on X. “Trump First, America Final.”
Trump defended the plan, saying he could be a “silly particular person” if he declined the gesture. “So the truth that the Protection Division is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 plane to interchange the 40 yr outdated Air Power One, briefly, in a really public and clear transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the aircraft,” Trump wrote in a social media publish. “Anyone can try this! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!”
But it surely’s not simply Democrats who’re anxious in regards to the transaction. Some Republican senators have additionally raised safety and authorized issues, with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia saying that the White Home would “want to have a look at the constitutionality” of the present.
It’s true that a part of the job of being president of the US is to interact in diplomacy, and that fairly often contains exchanging presents with overseas dignitaries and governments. Many of those presents are symbolic gestures, like the pair of pandas China offered to President Richard Nixon in 1972. Different presents are luxurious and supposed to impress, like the $20,000, 7.5-carat diamond India offered to former first girl Jill Biden in 2023. Presidents have additionally acquired presents within the type of 300 kilos of uncooked lamb, a pet, oriental rugs, a gold mechanical chook, swords, and a Burberry coat.
So what’s totally different this time? And why ought to we care about what different international locations give to the president?
How presidents are supposed to simply accept presents
As previous administrations have proven, it’s typical for presidents to simply accept presents. However there are nonetheless legal guidelines in place to make sure that governments, be they overseas or home, can’t curry favor with presidents this fashion. In 1966, Congress handed a legislation — the International Presents and Decorations Act — to cap the financial worth of a present the president is allowed to personally settle for. As of 2023, that quantity is $480.
Which means that the president can settle for presents of any quantity on behalf of the nation however, after leaving workplace, they will solely maintain the presents which are value lower than $480. In the event that they need to maintain on to a costlier present, they’ve to purchase it themselves from the federal government on the estimated market price. In any other case, these presents are usually despatched to the Nationwide Archives, finally transferring possession to the American folks, not any particular particular person.
That’s why the Bidens didn’t take residence the diamond from India and as a substitute left it behind within the East Wing for official use. And the pet was given to a household in Maryland as a result of, per Axios, it “couldn’t be archived.” And it’s most likely secure to say that no president has ever accepted a present value $400 million.
Along with the International Presents and Declarations Act, the US Structure additionally has two emoluments clauses. These bar presidents from receiving cash or presents from overseas governments, in addition to different branches of the US authorities, to stop particular pursuits from having undue affect over the president’s decision-making. So earlier than the 1966 reforms, per the Structure, Congress needed to approve each present {that a} president acquired in the event that they have been to maintain it personally — one thing that grew to become tougher and tougher to do as the US’ affect grew and presents grew to become extra commonplace. Trump was sued for violating the emoluments throughout his first time period, although the Supreme Court docket finally dismissed the circumstances in 2021.
The primary and maybe most necessary query it is best to ask about the entire aircraft gifting controversy is that this: Why would a overseas authorities even need to give the president a present value $400 million?
Certain, it is perhaps supposed as gesture, however a gesture that expensive virtually actually comes with the expectation that the president will give Qatar one thing in return. There doesn’t must be an express quid professional quo to imagine that the present is perhaps extra of an funding — identical to these seeking to purchase affect within the Trump White Home may flock to purchase inventory in his media firm or a few of his meme cash. The truth that this proposed present comes on the heels of the Trump Group putting a deal to construct a luxurious golf resort in Qatar also needs to elevate eyebrows.
However whereas the plan to present Trump the aircraft will not be finalized and may not occur, the truth that Trump thought of and defended the thought continues to be regarding, even when his previous historical past reveals that it’s solely unsurprising. In spite of everything, in his first time period, overseas governments spent tens of millions of {dollars} on his personal companies. Final yr, his media firm went public, making his conflicts of curiosity even worse by permitting anybody to purchase shares in his enterprise. And simply final month, he supplied to host a dinner for the highest traders in his crypto meme coin — which he launched days earlier than the beginning of his second time period — calling it “essentially the most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION within the World.”
That Trump will not be solely open to receiving a $400 million aircraft but additionally argues that it’s a prudent transfer clearly reveals that the US president is greater than prepared to simply accept extravagant presents. That’s an issue in and of itself as a result of it encourages different overseas governments to supply related presents within the hopes of currying favor with Trump or producing goodwill. It will solely add to the many conflicts of curiosity Trump already has, making it even tougher to know the place his loyalties stand and whom he is perhaps beholden to.
It’s doubtless that Trump will run right into a authorized headache attempting to simply accept this specific present, particularly due to his want to switch it over to his presidential library. Home Democrats are already searching for a probe into the potential jet, and a few have argued that it’s outright unconstitutional. “A present you utilize for 4 years after which deposit in your library continues to be a present (and a grift),” Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland wrote on X.
In idea, if the president accepts the aircraft and the federal government maintains possession of it — be it by the Nationwide Archives or preserving it operational for future presidents or another official use — then it wouldn’t essentially violate any ethics legal guidelines.
However even when Trump can discover a technical authorized argument for why he can settle for the present, the query is whether or not he ought to given the conflicts of curiosity it raises. And it will be arduous to search out an ethics skilled who wouldn’t elevate issues.
