'Trump doesn't care': Critics are skeptical about the president's plans for Qatar plane

Donald Trump speaks at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Cheney Orr/File Photo
Donald Trump speaks at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Cheney Orr/File Photo
Ailia Zehra
May 14, 2025 | 08:37PM UTCBank

President Donald Trump is being criticized for accepting a lavish gift from Qatar, but he has continued to defend his action.

Political commentator Chris Cillizza said Thursday that the fact that Trump continues to talk about the $400 million plane he is receiving as a gift from Qatar is keeping this story in the news cycle.

On Tuesday, Trump reiterated that the jet gifted to him by Qatar is being given to the United States Air Force and the Department of Defense, suggesting that it would save American taxpayers money.

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In a late-night Truth Social post from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the president said: "It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive."

But Cillizza argued in his piece for The Daily Beast published Wednesday that the plane will effectively be at Trump's disposal.

"The plane will reportedly transfer ownership to Trump’s presidential library when his term is out—meaning that he will effectively have it at his disposal," he wrote.

"Trump has said he will never use the plane after he leaves office. Uh huh. (Not for nothing: He also re-posted a supporter comparing the plane gift to the Statue of Liberty, which was given to the U.S. by France. Yes, it’s exactly like that. Nailed it.)," the author wrote sarcastically.

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"Trump seems unaware—or simply doesn’t care—that by continuing to talk about the plane, he ensures that the story will live for at least another day," he said.

The commentator said no past president would have even considered accepting "such a lavish" gift from a Gulf State.