Schatz blasts Trump plan to accept next Air Force One from Qatar

12 May 2025, 23:45 by Dan Nakaso · Star-Advertiser

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VIDEO COURTESY SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, took to the Senate floor to condemn the luxury airplane gift to President Donald Trump.

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COURTESY OFFICE OF SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ

U.S. Sen Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, speaks on the Senate floor this morning on the proposed Qatar gift of a jet to be used as Air Force One by the Trump administration.

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REUTERS/NATHAN HOWARD / APRIL 25

President Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews aboard Marine One, before boarding Air Force One.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz today blasted President Donald Trump’s plan to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 from the Qatari government to be used as a future Air Force One as “disgusting” and “wildly corrupt” among other things.

The Hawaii Democrat says he plans to ask his Senate colleagues to condemn Trump’s plan to accept the Boeing that’s worth over $400 million but will cost millions more to upgrade it to Air Force standards and ensure it’s not bugged or can be tracked, according to ABC News, which first reported the gift from Qatar on Sunday.

Trump confirmed the report to reporters today, saying “Now, I could be a stupid person and say, ‘Oh no, we don’t want a free plane.’”

Schatz blasted the plan today on the Senate floor and called it a clear violation of the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

“I cannot believe I have to say this but a president should not take a $400 million gift from a foreign country,” Schatz said. “It doesn’t matter which president, what party, it doesn’t matter which foreign country. … I shouldn’t have to explain why but it is a high principle literally enshrined in the Constitution … the Emoluments Clause in the Constitution. It’s a fancy phrase, but a simple idea. No foreign gifts. If a foreign government offers you anything, but especially something close to half a billion dollars worth, the answer is no thank you. End of story. Very simple. End of story. I cannot take that. … But it’s also explicitly prohibited by the United States Constitution.”

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“Air Force One is not just a random luxury airplane,” Schatz said. “It is a symbol of and a projection of American power. … It represents not just the weight of the presidency, but America itself, generations of history and international leadership. But in one fell swoop Trump is selling out one of the most iconic symbols of American power that we have.”

“It’s disgusting. It’s wildly corrupt. And just because they are doing the corruption in plain sight does not make it any less damning, or sad or gross.”

According to The Hill, Trump told reporters that the gift “helps us out because … we have 40-year-old aircraft. The money we spend, the maintenance we spend on those planes to keep them tippy top is astronomical. You wouldn’t even believe it. So, I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar; I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I could be a stupid person and say, ‘No we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane,’ but I thought it was a great gesture.”

Trump said he thinks Qatar made the offer because he has “kept them safe,” adding, “If it wasn’t for us, they probably wouldn’t exist right now.”

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