Trump’s ‘Free’ Jet from Qatar and Corruption’s Slippery Slope 

In 2006, the Bulgarian president gave President George W. Bush a 2-month-old puppy named Balkan of Gorannadraganov. To comply with the Emoluments Clause — a provision in the U.S. Constitution prohibiting federal officials from receiving gifts or money from foreign governments without congressional permission — the puppy was sent to the National Archives before it was placed with a family. 

President Donald Trump is taking a very different tactic with Qatar’s much bigger, less adorable, and far more corrupt gift: a Boeing 747-8 jet estimated to be worth as much as $400 million. Trump has indicated he intends for the plane to go to his presidential library upon leaving office — a plan that suggests he sees the plane as a personal trophy rather than a gift to the American people. While the transaction is not yet final, with Qatar reportedly still seeking clarification of the terms, the White House has made clear that it considers it a done deal. 

Not only does the defiant acceptance of the supposed gift encapsulate the blatant disregard for ethics rules that characterized his first term, it also serves as an alarm bell that Trump has become more brazenly shameless in his second. The routine corruption that marked his previous administration — from the numerous examples of self-dealing uncovered by American Oversight to his attempt to overturn a free and fair election on Jan. 6 — shows how slippery the slope of corruption is as it bypasses democratic principles.

The plane is currently in San Antonio, awaiting alterations before it operates as Air Force One — a process that experts warn may take years and cost as much as $1 billion. In ignoring both practical and ethical concerns, Trump chose to accept it seemingly because it will benefit his personal wealth and comfort. During his first administration, Boeing signed a contract to replace the current Air Force One planes that have been in use since George H.W. Bush’s presidency. Although the planes were initially supposed to be delivered in 2022, the most optimistic estimate is that the new fleet will be ready in 2027 — a fact that Trump has publicly complained about. In contrast, when Trump toured Qatar’s opulent jet, he was reportedly awed at its lavish design. 

To see how far presidential ethics norms under Trump have declined, look back to January 2017. While he refused to financially divest from his private companies during his first administration, Trump’s business pledged to not make deals with foreign governments so as to avoid concerns that he would manipulate U.S. foreign policy for his personal benefit. But within just the first few months of his second administration, the Trump Organization brokered a deal to build a luxury resort and golf course in Qatar, in part by hiring a company owned by the Qatari government. Less than two weeks later, Trump announced he would accept the jet from Qatar, defending the decision by saying that only “a stupid person” would say, “‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”

Ethics rules and the Emoluments Clause uphold a simple principle: Policy should be based on what is best for the public, not what is best for a single leader’s pocketbook, buddies, or political career. Gifts are “designed to create good feelings for the recipient and to get some kind of reciprocity,” Columbia Law School professor Richard Briffault told NPR. Presidents may decide to reciprocate by shaping American policy to benefit the gifters, such as by reducing tariffs, brokering a lucrative weapons deal, or increasing foreign aid. As Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) noted, Trump’s acceptance of the plane “sends a troubling message to other foreign governments who, like Qatar, may be seeking to curry favor with the administration: that influence with the White House is for sale.”

Trump’s first administration provided several indications that government agencies, officials, and foreign governments received this “troubling message” loud and clear, spending money at Trump’s businesses in a bid to benefit both his bottom line and their own interests. American Oversight obtained records showing that:

• The Defense Department spent nearly $1 million at Trump properties between July 2017 and November 2019.
• Justice Department officials spent more than $5,700 at Trump’s Doral and Soho properties in 2018.
• Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon employees spent more than $5,500 at Trump properties between 2017 and early 2019, including a roughly $1,600 dinner that DHS official Miles Taylor had with a foreign government representative at a restaurant at the Trump International Hotel in D.C.
• Kelly Craft, Trump’s ambassador to Canada in his first administration, blatantly directed government business to the Trump International Hotel while in office. “Is this a meeting I should attend?” Craft asked a staffer in an email we obtained from November 2018. “If so, I would prefer the TRUMP HOTEL.” 
• In 2019, Reuters reported that at least seven foreign governments received State Department approval to rent condos in Trump World Tower in New York without congressional approval. Through a lawsuit, we received documents that shed light on the State Department’s approval of the leases.

Trump’s acceptance of the “palace in the sky” has even made some of his far-right supporters balk. And the evidence that Trump has become more emboldened in his self-serving approach to public office has been mounting. Early in his second administration, he issued pardons to political allies, donors, and participants for crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection, launched a memecoin as part of a blatant cash grab, used his pulpit to promote Tesla from the White House lawn alongside (currently former) ally Elon Musk, and solicited corporate donors and sponsors in an array of pay-to-play schemes — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of his abuses of power. 

In accepting the Qatar gift, Trump is also ignoring security concerns and sending a bill to U.S. taxpayers that will likely be enormous. Updating a jet to serve as Air Force One, which must allow the president to complete all functions of his office while in the air, requires introducing advanced communication and defense systems. Although experts estimate it would take years to update the plane to meet the specifications of Air Force One, the White House has indicated it wants the plane ready by the end of the year. This rushed timeline has raised concerns that the administration will bypass the necessary security measures to more quickly meet Trump’s demand for a newer, glitzier plane.

As the Trump administration decimates the federal government, deports and removes people without due process, imposes unpopular tariffs, and weaponizes the government against perceived enemies, it would be easy to dismiss ethics violations as minor. But ethics rules and good-governance measures meant to prevent corruption and ensure our leaders serve the American people above their self-interest are vital. When they believe they can operate as if the rules don’t apply to them, the slippery slope from democratic rule to authoritarianism becomes that much more perilous.