The news broke over the weekend that the royal family of Qatar is planning to give the president a $400 million jet, which will be used as the new Air Force One. Some reports have stated that the plane would be transferred to Trump’s presidential library after Trump’s time in office.
According to CNBC, it would be the largest foreign gift ever received by the U.S. government, raising questions about whether such a gift from a foreign government is ethical.
There had been previous reports about talks for such a gift, but it wasn’t until the weekend that it was reported that the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel had signed off on the legality of the gift. Also, many noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi had previously lobbied for Qatar.
When asked about this on Monday, the president reacted angrily and then told a story about the later golfer Sam Snead.
Donald Trump is having a meltdown about ABC News asking him about the jet that Qatar is giving him.
Says it all.pic.twitter.com/jfFlopGAiX
— Art Candee 🍿🥤 (@ArtCandee) May 12, 2025
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“He had a motto, when they give you a putt, you say, thank you very much. You pick up your ball and you walk to the next hole,” Trump said. “A lot of people are stupid. They say, no, no, I insist on putting it. And then they put it, they miss it, and their partner gets angry at them. You know what? Remember that Sam Snead, when they give you a putt, you pick it up and you walk to the next hole and you say, thank you very much.”
This is ironic in light of Rick Reilly’s book Commander in Cheat, which looked at Trump’s history with golf and his extensive history of cheating in the game.
At the same event, Trump also blamed Boeing’s delays for the need to accept a new plane from another country, stating that “you look at some of the Arab countries and the planes they have parked alongside the United States of America plane, it’s like from a different planet.”
Many politicians have made comments about the jet gift, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who said Monday that “Donald Trump cannot accept a $400 million flying palace from the royal family of Qatar.”
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but NO, Donald Trump cannot accept a $400 million flying palace from the royal family of Qatar.
Not only is this farcically corrupt, it is blatantly unconstitutional.
Congress must not allow this over-the-top kleptocracy to proceed. https://t.co/G4KE3rJcVc
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) May 11, 2025
Photo courtesy of X screengrab
