In response to criticism of the deal, the White House has doubled down. Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the administration was “committed to full transparency”.
“Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws,” she said.
Getty ImagesAlthough there has been nothing offered in exchange for the plane, many commentators said it would be naïve to expect that that Qatari royal family would hand out such a large item with no strings attached.
“They very obviously see that if you reward Donald Trump with gifts, that may pay off down the road,” Doug Heye, a political strategist and former communications director for the Republican National Committee, told the BBC. “Flattery gets you somewhere with Donald Trump, and we’ve seen that time and time again.”
The US Constitution includes a clause preventing officials from accepting “any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
But the White House has pointed out that, at least to begin with, the plane is being gifted to the US government.
Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly investigated the legality of the deal and determined that because there are no explicit conditions attached, it would not amount to a bribe.
Conservatives and others were quick to point out that Bondi was registered as a lobbyist for Qatar prior to joining Trump’s cabinet, at some points earning up to $115,0000 (£87,000) a month from her work for the Qatari government.
The Trump Organisation also continues to maintain links to Qatar and last month announced a deal to build a luxury golf resort in the country.
Getty ImagesDuring a news conference at the White House on Tuesday the president berated a reporter who raised questions about the ethics of the transaction.
“What do you say to people who view that luxury jet as a personal gift to you?” asked ABC reporter Rachel Scott.
“You should be embarrassed asking that question,” Trump replied, after using his standard “fake news” jibe.
“They’re giving us a free jet,” the president said. “I could say ‘No, no, no, don’t give us, I want to pay you a billion or 400 million’… or I could say ‘thank you very much’.”
On Truth Social, the president later reposted several messages pointing out that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, and wrote late Tuesday: “The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!”
“Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country,” he wrote.
However even some within Trump’s Republican Party were expressing concern.
“I think it’s not worth the appearance of impropriety, whether it’s improper or not,” Rand Paul, Republican senator from Kentucky, told Fox News.
“I wonder if our ability to judge [Qatar’s] human rights record will be clouded by the fact of this large gift,” Paul said.
Another Republican senator, Ted Cruz of Texas, said accepting the gift would pose “significant espionage and surveillance problems”.
Trump did find some support within his party. “Free is good. You know, we don’t have a lot of money right now to buy things like that,” Sen Tommy Tuberville told CNN.
Doug Heye, the Republican strategist, suggested that the deal might not hurt Trump’s popularity with his base in the long term.
“Trump has been able for years now to turn scandals that would otherwise be debilitating for other politicians into things that we forget,” he said. “He’s very skilled at that.”