This week, news broke that President Donald Trump would accept a free luxury jet from Qatar as a gift.
In remarks, Trump said that he would be a “stupid person” to turn away the gift.
"I think it's a great gesture from Qatar. Appreciate it very much," Trump said. "I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.' But it was, I thought it was a great gesture."
According to The New York Times, the jet is a $400 million Boeing 747-8:
The president said that he intended to use the plane for a “couple of years” while his administration waits for a pair of Boeing planes to be completed to the strict military standards befitting Air Force One.
A White House official said it was premature to say how long upgrades to the Qatari plane could take. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, like others interviewed, also declined to say when the Trump administration expects to take possession.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz appeared in an interview where he spoke on his concerns about the jet.
“I’m not a fan of Qatar. I think they have a really disturbing pattern of funding theocratic lunatics who want to murder us, funding Hamas and Hezbollah. And that’s a real problem,” Cruz said in an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday.
“I also think the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems,” he warned. “We’ll see how this issue plays out, but I certainly have concerns.”
