(José Niño, Headline USA) A diplomatic gift from Qatar to the U.S. — a Boeing 747-8 jet — has sparked criticism from both foes and ostensible allies of President Donald Trump as he attempts to navigate an increasingly tumultuous political landscape in the Middle East.
On Monday, Trump announced plans to accept a Qatari-donated Boeing 747-8 jet, initially designated as Air Force One, according to a report by Reuters.
Valued at roughly $400 million, the aircraft would later be retired to Trump’s presidential library. While Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani insists the deal is a government-to-government transaction, critics argue it violates the Foreign Emoluments Clause, which bars federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign states without congressional approval.
In an interview with NPR, Columbia Law School professor Richard Briffault warned the gift could constitute a personal emolument if it goes to Trump’s post-presidency library, thereby creating a clear violation of the Constitution.
Republican Senators Mike Rounds and John Cornyn have likened the jet to a “Trojan horse,” while Democrats fear it sets a precedent for foreign powers to buy influence. Al-Jazeera reported that the deal has united lawmakers in rare bipartisan opposition, with a Senate coalition seeking to block it.
Zionist Outrage
The Trump jet controversy has galvanized a network of pro-Israel commentators and institutions framing Qatar as a destabilizing force in Middle Eastern geopolitics.
Bari Weiss, outspoken Zionist and founder of The Free Press, amplified an investigative report penned by Frannie Block and Jay Solomon alleging that Qatar spent “almost $100 billion to establish its legitimacy in Congress, American colleges and universities, U.S. newsrooms, think tanks, and corporations.”
Weiss previously linked Qatar to anti-Israel activism in a November 2023 article, citing a study by the Network Contagion Research Institute that found universities accepting donations from Middle Eastern countries, especially from Qatar, had “300 percent more antisemitic incidents than those institutions that did not.”
Similarly, Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro, a staunch Israel supporter, condemned Trump’s jet acceptance as antithetical to “America First” principles. On his podcast episode on Tuesday, he stated: “Taking sacks of goodies from people who support Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Jazeera, all the rest-that’s not America first.”
Fox News host Mark Levin, who is vocal about his support for the Jewish state, used the jet controversy to revive 9/11-era grievances, tweeting on Wednesday:
Saudi Arabia played a significant role on the 9/11 slaughter of our people. I didn’t hear their Crown Prince even apologize once yesterday for what they did to us. And I know the 9/11 families are reeling from this.
And Qatar protected the leader of the 9/11 attack from the…
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) May 14, 2025
“Qatar protected the leader of the 9/11 attack from the FBI…The debate about whether the plane is a legal gift is beside the point. Qatar is a terrorist regime that has murdered Americans.”
Prominent America First influence Laura Loomer tweeted that she would “take a bullet” for Trump, yet she criticized Trump’s acceptance of a gift from Qatar.
“How are we supposed to ever see the US under the Trump admin designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization if the US is now going to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar to fly the US President and his staff around on?” Loomer wrote on X.
How are we supposed to ever see the US under the Trump admin designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization if the US is now going to accept a $400 million jet from Qatar to fly the US President and his staff around on?
This is something we were promised would… pic.twitter.com/TUFv6aykx6
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 11, 2025
The White House continues to dismiss the idea that Qatar wanted to influence Trump.
“They know President Trump, and they know he only works with the interests of the American public in mind,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
