Trump’s critics and supporters unite against Qatar plane deal

In his eagerness to accept a plane from Qatar, Donald Trump has achieved a remarkable feat, uniting many partisans across America’s bitter political divide.

The problem for the White House is that unity is happening in opposition to it.

Predictably, Trump’s opponents in the Democratic Party slammed the president after he indicated he would accept a luxury jet from the Qatari royal family.

More noteworthy – and potentially more troubling for the president – is that some of his strongest supporters also have serious reservations about the deal, even as it’s yet to be finalised.

Maga influencers have described the move as a “bribe”, grift, or an example of the high-level corruption that Trump himself has consistently promised root out.

The Qatari royal family plans to give the luxury Boeing 747-8, estimated to be worth $400m (£300m), to the US Department of Defence to be used as part of a fleet of planes dubbed Air Force One – the president’s official mode of air travel.

The current fleet includes two 747-200 jets which have been in use since 1990, along with several smaller and somewhat secretive 757s.

The White House says that the new plane – which could require years and millions of dollars to refit and upgrade – will be transferred to Trump’s presidential library at the end of his term.

After the news broke on Sunday, the backlash was fierce and immediate.

“I think the technical term is ‘skeezy’,” deadpanned conservative Daily Wire commentator Ben Shapiro on his podcast.

“Qatar is not allegedly giving President Trump a $400m jet out of the goodness of their sweet little hearts,” he said. “They try to stuff money into pockets in totally bipartisan fashion.”

He and others pointed to allegations that Qatar has funnelled money into terrorist groups – allegations the country has denied – and called Qataris “the world’s largest proponents of terrorism on an international scale.”

Laura Loomer, the conspiracy-spreading social media influencer who agitates for sackings of top White House officials deemed insufficiently loyal, interrupted her steady stream of pro-Trump messaging to criticise the move.

Although she said she still supports the president, she called the plane deal “a stain” and posted a cartoon of the Trojan Horse, redrawn as a plane and filled with armed Islamist militants.

Trump found little support for the plan in more mainstream outlets as well.

The New York Post, which usually can be counted on to back much of the populist Maga agenda, ran a blunt editorial: “Qatar’s ‘Palace in the Sky’ jet is NOT a ‘free gift’ – and Trump shouldn’t accept it as one.”

And Mark Levin, a consistent cheerleader of the president on Fox News and his radio talk show, posted on X accusing Qatar of being a “terror state” and wrote: “Their jet and all the other things they are buying in our country does not provide them with the cover they seek”.

During his first term, Trump himself accused Qatar of funding terror groups.

When contacted by the BBC, the Qatari embassy in Washington pointed to an interview Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani gave CNN about the plane.

“It is a government-to-government transaction. It has nothing to do with personal relationships – neither on the US side, nor the Qatari side. It’s between the two defence ministries,” he said.

“Why would we buy influence in the United States?” he added, arguing Qatar has “always been a reliable and trusted partner. This is not a one-way relationship.”

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.

Although 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.

During 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.”