Is accepting a 400-million-dollar plane from a foreign country a violation of the law? (1 Viewer)

[eohrnberger]

Boeing was contracted for a new Air Force One in 2018 and they were supposed to deliver it last year. But they’ve delayed until at least 2029. So hopefully nobody is paying them for bungling the contract and delivering nothing.

Gee, that sounds like the mess the Starliner went through.
A recurring problem Boeing has?

 

[NolanVoyd]

I think its far more likely to be much adieu about nothing.

• The Department of Justice (DOJ), under Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the White House Counsel’s Office prepared a legal analysis concluding that accepting the plane is lawful. The analysis argues:
  • The gift is to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally, and thus does not violate the Emoluments Clause, which bars federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign states without congressional consent
  • The gift is not conditioned on any official act, so it does not constitute bribery under federal anti-bribery laws
  • After Trump’s term, the plane will be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation, a non-profit, which the DOJ claims aligns with precedents for handling foreign gifts
• The plane, valued at ~$400 million, will be retrofitted by the U.S. Air Force to meet presidential security standards, with costs borne by the U.S. government, reinforcing its status as a government asset
• The DOJ’s memo, approved by Bondi, was cited by a senior DOJ official as clearing the gift’s legality
• The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act (5 U.S.C. § 7342) allows federal employees to accept gifts to the U.S. government, provided they are reported and managed appropriately (e.g., transferred to the General Services Administration or a federal entity). The administration’s claim that the gift is to the Pentagon aligns with this framework

Apparently, the Dem's compliant and complicit MSM propagandists have reported only 1/2 of the story, their A STORY, the one they want, and not THE STORY - the details of which are listed above.

Apparently Loomer hasn't done her due diligence, and also apparently, the administration has.


There's allot of kneejerk responses and accusations right here in this thread.
Given the above, they are pretty easy to pick out. Why don't you give that a try?

Congress would have to approve it or it's unconstitutional.

Article I​

• Section 9​

  • Clause 8 Foreign Emoluments
  • 
    
  • no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

 

[HumblePi]

I think its far more likely to be much adieu about nothing.

• The Department of Justice (DOJ), under Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the White House Counsel’s Office prepared a legal analysis concluding that accepting the plane is lawful. The analysis argues:
  • The gift is to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally, and thus does not violate the Emoluments Clause, which bars federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign states without congressional consent
  • The gift is not conditioned on any official act, so it does not constitute bribery under federal anti-bribery laws
  • After Trump’s term, the plane will be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation, a non-profit, which the DOJ claims aligns with precedents for handling foreign gifts
• The plane, valued at ~$400 million, will be retrofitted by the U.S. Air Force to meet presidential security standards, with costs borne by the U.S. government, reinforcing its status as a government asset
• The DOJ’s memo, approved by Bondi, was cited by a senior DOJ official as clearing the gift’s legality
• The Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act (5 U.S.C. § 7342) allows federal employees to accept gifts to the U.S. government, provided they are reported and managed appropriately (e.g., transferred to the General Services Administration or a federal entity). The administration’s claim that the gift is to the Pentagon aligns with this framework

Apparently, the Dem's compliant and complicit MSM propagandists have reported only 1/2 of the story, their A STORY, the one they want, and not THE STORY - the details of which are listed above.

Apparently Loomer hasn't done her due diligence, and also apparently, the administration has.


There's allot of kneejerk responses and accusations right here in this thread.
Given the above, they are pretty easy to pick out. Why don't you give that a try?

What has Pam Bondi and her associates have done within the Department of Justice? The Public Integrity Unit is a unit that investigates potential issues of public corruption in conjunction with U.S. attorney's offices around the country. In November, after the election, there were approximately 30 prosecutors working there. That number is down to 4. There's been a dismantling of forces within the National Security Division that dealt with investigating potential instances of foreign meddling in politics and in business. We're seeing the dismantling of the Justice Dept. Former guardrails to corruption have dropped substantially, we're seeing Trump getting Pam Bondi to sign off on this deal. The U.S. has been the biggest player on the block because we have had the practice of bestowing aide to other countries in need. Now we're in a circumstance of taking gifts from foreign potentates. It's clear that receiving this plane is unconstitutional and illegal.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/12/trump-qatar-air-force-one-taxpayer-costs-00342299

Trump’s free plane could cost taxpayers millions​

The Qatari Defense Ministry is talking to the White House about transferring the luxury-configured Boeing jet to the Pentagon, which would oversee its retrofitting into a makeshift Air Force One. But a private contractor would have to rip it apart to turn the jet into a flying White House for the president with secure communications and classified upgrades, according to former Air Force officials and lawmakers, an expensive and complicated prospect that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

"This isn't really a gift," said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees executive airlift. "You'd basically have to tear the plane down to the studs and rebuild it to meet all the survivability, security and communications requirements of Air Force One. It's a massive undertaking — and an unfunded one at that."

Add to that the significant cost of sweeping the aircraft for software modifications or embedded foreign tech. "That's not a trivial thing to do," Hunter said. "That alone would cost tens of millions of dollars."

Building the aircraft is one thing, but maintaining and operating a presidential aircraft at the very highest standards is an expensive prospect all on its own. Each VC-25B costs more than $2.5 billion, with another $7.7 billion in projected long-term operations and support costs over 30 years, according to a 2021 internal Pentagon estimate.

 

[Lursa]

Never mind the law...what about security?

How many electronic bugs could they plant in that plane? It's like buying a laptop just shipped from a Huawei factory located in China.

Or change out wiring or hydraulics to fail, something possible to miss in inspections. Or even something triggered by cell phone, etc.

Should he accept it and use it?

 

[Sandy Shanks]

President Trump once again proved how stupid he is.

The emoluments clause in our Constitution prohibits federal officeholders from receiving gifts, payments, or other benefits from foreign governments without the consent of Congress.

Unfortunately, Trump is not familiar with our Constitution. Who voted for this guy? We don't know. They are not talking.

NPR reports, "While not yet finalized, the Trump administration's plan to accept a luxury plane from the Qatari government to serve as Air Force One has already drawn fierce criticism from lawmakers and independent watchdogs who say such a move violates the Constitution."

Trump's response is almost child-like and most certainly un-Presidential.

"I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane,' " Trump said. "But I thought it was a great gesture."

Unbelievable! It is going to be a long four years.

 

[eohrnberger]

Congress would have to approve it or it's unconstitutional.

Article I​

• Section 9​

  • Clause 8 Foreign Emoluments
  • 
    
  • no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

"The gift is to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally"
So, no, I don't think Congress has to approve a gift to the Air Force, as the Air Force is the party receiving it.

 

[HumblePi]

"The gift is to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally"
So, no, I don't think Congress has to approve a gift to the Air Force, as the Air Force is the party receiving it.

It’s a gift to the department of defense not the US Air Force. It is intended for the exclusive use of Donald J Trump, not the department of defense.

 

[SoCal]

Is accepting a 400-million-dollar plane from a foreign country a violation of the law??

It should be...

 

[eohrnberger]

What has Pam Bondi and her associates have done within the Department of Justice? The Public Integrity Unit is a unit that investigates potential issues of public corruption in conjunction with U.S. attorney's offices around the country. In November, after the election, there were approximately 30 prosecutors working there. That number is down to 4. There's been a dismantling of forces within the National Security Division that dealt with investigating potential instances of foreign meddling in politics and in business. We're seeing the dismantling of the Justice Dept. Former guardrails to corruption have dropped substantially, we're seeing Trump getting Pam Bondi to sign off on this deal. The U.S. has been the biggest player on the block because we have had the practice of bestowing aide to other countries in need. Now we're in a circumstance of taking gifts from foreign potentates. It's clear that receiving this plane is unconstitutional and illegal.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/12/trump-qatar-air-force-one-taxpayer-costs-00342299

I'm just reading nothing more than ranting in the above.

Trump’s free plane could cost taxpayers millions​

The Qatari Defense Ministry is talking to the White House about transferring the luxury-configured Boeing jet to the Pentagon, which would oversee its retrofitting into a makeshift Air Force One. But a private contractor would have to rip it apart to turn the jet into a flying White House for the president with secure communications and classified upgrades, according to former Air Force officials and lawmakers, an expensive and complicated prospect that could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

"This isn't really a gift," said Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees executive airlift.

Millions over the typical late and overbudget regular government process which probably?

"You'd basically have to tear the plane down to the studs and rebuild it to meet all the survivability, security and communications requirements of Air Force One. It's a massive undertaking — and an unfunded one at that."

So says noted aviation expert who again? Oh, right. A democrat congressman. Never mind.

Add to that the significant cost of sweeping the aircraft for software modifications or embedded foreign tech. "That's not a trivial thing to do," Hunter said. "That alone would cost tens of millions of dollars."

He's just postulating.

"The plane, valued at ~$400 million, will be retrofitted by the U.S. Air Force to meet presidential security standards, with costs borne by the U.S. government, reinforcing its status as a government asset". Wouldn't the Air Force would have to do that with new place from Boeing anyway?

Building the aircraft is one thing, but maintaining and operating a presidential aircraft at the very highest standards is an expensive prospect all on its own. Each VC-25B costs more than $2.5 billion, with another $7.7 billion in projected long-term operations and support costs over 30 years, according to a 2021 internal Pentagon estimate.

That's nice. How does this compare to the cost of maintaining the existing 40 year old plane? I'd suspect that the latter would cost even more than that.

 

[BabaVoss]

Nobody is giving Trump a plane, so no...there is no violation of the law.

How do you square that with the Emoluments clause? Have you read it?

"No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

Let me simplify it for you;

NO PERSON HOLDING ANY OFFICE SHALL ACCEPT ANY PRESENT OF ANY KIND FROM ANY FOREIGN STATE.

How do get around this? Who is going to accept this gift?

 

[eohrnberger]

How do you square that with the Emoluments clause? Have you read it?

"No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under [the United States], shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

Let me simplify it for you;
NO PERSON HOLDING ANY OFFICE SHALL ACCEPT ANY PRESENT OF ANY KIND FROM ANY FOREIGN STATE.

How do you so spin this?

The gift is to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally.

 

[Nickyjo]

The source would be suspect in any situation.

I don’t understand. What source?

 

[HumblePi]

The gift is to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally.

It is specifically “for his personal use“, not for the exclusive use of the department of defense

 

[HumblePi]

I don’t understand. What source?

What source? Qatar of course! do you know anything about Qatar and their history?

 

[eohrnberger]

It is specifically “for his personal use“, not for the exclusive use of the department of defense

Who is asserting that 'It is specifically “for his personal use“'?
What is the source of this claim?

The reality appears to be different.

Explanation of Call Signs

• Air Force One:
  • This is the radio call sign assigned to any U.S. Air Force aircraft (e.g., Boeing 747-200B, VC-25A) when the President is on board. It was established in 1953 after a near-collision involving a commercial plane with the same call sign as the President’s aircraft (Air Force Historical Research Agency, 2023).
  • The call sign applies regardless of other passengers, including the Vice President, First Lady, or cabinet members. For example, if Vice President JD Vance flies with President Donald Trump on the primary presidential aircraft, it remains Air Force One (Web ID: 19).
  • The designation is controlled by air traffic control and the Air Force, tied to the President’s presence (FAA Order JO 7110.65, 2024).
• Air Force Two:
  • This call sign is used for any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the Vice President when they are traveling separately from the President. Commonly, it’s a Boeing 757 (C-32) or another aircraft from the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base (Web ID: 10).
  • If the Vice President is on a different plane, it’s designated Air Force Two to signify their status as the second-highest-ranking official (Military.com, 2023).

So both Pres and VP are using the aircraft, apparently. Maybe even others as well.

 

[Nickyjo]

What source? Qatar of course! do you know anything about Qatar and their history?

Sorry, I didn’t know if you were talking about Qatar or the reporting source.

 

[noonereal]

I wonder if any Trump supporter on this site can explain what a library needs with a luxury 747?

Why not build it here?

I thought Trump was making AMERICA great again. You know, America first.

 

[Nickyjo]

I wonder if any Trump supporter on this site can explain what a library needs with a luxury 747?

Or explain why a president who doesn’t read needs a library.

 

[HumblePi]

Who is asserting that 'It is specifically “for his personal use“'?
What is the source of this claim?

The reality appears to be different.

Explanation of Call Signs

• Air Force One:
  • This is the radio call sign assigned to any U.S. Air Force aircraft (e.g., Boeing 747-200B, VC-25A) when the President is on board. It was established in 1953 after a near-collision involving a commercial plane with the same call sign as the President’s aircraft (Air Force Historical Research Agency, 2023).
  • The call sign applies regardless of other passengers, including the Vice President, First Lady, or cabinet members. For example, if Vice President JD Vance flies with President Donald Trump on the primary presidential aircraft, it remains Air Force One (Web ID: 19).
  • The designation is controlled by air traffic control and the Air Force, tied to the President’s presence (FAA Order JO 7110.65, 2024).
• Air Force Two:
  • This call sign is used for any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the Vice President when they are traveling separately from the President. Commonly, it’s a Boeing 757 (C-32) or another aircraft from the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base (Web ID: 10).
  • If the Vice President is on a different plane, it’s designated Air Force Two to signify their status as the second-highest-ranking official (Military.com, 2023).

So both Pres and VP are using the aircraft, apparently. Maybe even others as well.

​

If Donald Trump did not fully believe that this plane was to be his 'exclusively', The plane would not be donated to the future Trump presidential library shortly before he leaves office, would it? No, it wouldn't, it would remain in the possession of the Dept of Defense for future presidents.​

Qatar to donate a jumbo jet for Trump's exclusive use as a presidential plane https://www.cbsnews.com/news/qatar-donate-trump-presidential-plane/​

Washington — The royal family of Qatar is donating a jumbo jet for President Trump's exclusive use as a presidential plane, sources told CBS News.

 

[NolanVoyd]

"The gift is to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally"
So, no, I don't think Congress has to approve a gift to the Air Force, as the Air Force is the party receiving it.

Thats a lie.

It is to Trump

The airforce doesn't get to keep it.

It goes to his library for his use when his term is over.

Why do you defend everything the corrupt POS does?

I dont get it.

 

[JMR]

"I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane,' " Trump said

Recall in 2016 when pressed with the issue that he pays no income taxes, Trump claimed "That makes me smart"

He shows exactly who he is every day, and his fans admire this complete lack of ethics.

 

[Linuxcooldude]

no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Ah…..code word person. Gifting it to the Air Force, ( As described by the DOJ ) an entity within the federal government, isn’t a person. So approval with Congress isn’t needed per your citation.

 

[BabaVoss]

Ah…..code word person. Gifting it to the Air Force, ( As described by the DOJ ) an entity within the federal government, isn’t a person. So approval with Congress isn’t needed per your citation.

So that’s all we need to sidestep the Constitution?

 

[JMR]

Ah…..code word person. Gifting it to the Air Force, ( As described by the DOJ ) an entity within the federal government, isn’t a person. So approval with Congress isn’t needed per your citation.

Then why is the Air Force giving it up in 2028 and sending to Trump's "library" ?

 

[ClaraD]

Are you jealous?

um, this isn't a smart option for him to take..