Dim Amor

In an extraordinary and unprecedented move on the international stage, the Qatari royal family is set to present US President Donald Trump with a prestigious aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This was exclusively reported yesterday (Sunday) by the American network ABC. According to the report, the aircraft is a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, known as a "Palace in the Sky", with an estimated value of approximately $400 million.

The aircraft will be given to the US Air Force and will serve President Trump as a presidential plane, and toward the end of his term, it will be transferred to the ownership of the Trump Presidential Library Foundation.

The US President already toured the luxurious aircraft last February when it was parked at the Palm Beach International Airport in Florida. The official announcement of this unusual gift is expected to be published next week, during President Trump's planned visit to Qatar and the Middle East.

It should be noted that the cost of the aircraft does not include the additional expenses that will be borne by the US Air Force when installing the advanced security and technological equipment required for it to serve as a presidential aircraft, similar to the current Air Force One.

The unusual Qatari gift raised legal questions in the American administration regarding the legality of its acceptance. According to sources at ABC, lawyers in the White House Counsel's Office and the US Department of Defense submitted a comprehensive legal opinion on the matter to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

The legal opinion determined that accepting the aircraft as a gift for the American military and its future transfer to Trump's Presidential Library does not constitute a bribery offense or a violation of the constitutional prohibition that applies to official figures in the American administration from receiving gifts "from any king, prince, or foreign state".

The sources even add that the US Attorney General and the White House Counsel reached a joint conclusion that it would be "permissible by law" to condition the donation of the luxurious aircraft on its transfer to the Trump Presidential Library before the end of his term.

Currently, the American president uses a pair of old Boeing 747-200 aircraft, operating since the 1990s. In 2018, a contract was signed with Boeing to replace the veteran presidential aircraft with a pair of new Boeing 747-8 aircraft – the same model of the aircraft that will now be given as a gift from Qatar. The new aircraft were supposed to enter service only in 2029, but due to pressure exerted by President Trump and businessman Elon Musk, the date was moved up to 2027.

The unusual mega-gift from Qatar raises interesting questions about the relationship between the United States and the wealthy Gulf state. Qatar, located on the Arabian Peninsula and holding some of the world's largest natural gas reserves, is considered a strategic ally of the United States in the Middle East. The country hosts the Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American base in the region, which serves as a key point for American military activity in the Middle East.

In the past, relations between Trump and Qatar have had their ups and downs. At the beginning of his first term, in 2017, the President criticized Qatar and claimed that it supports terrorism. However, relations between the countries later warmed and even tightened during his current term. The gift of the prestigious aircraft may indicate Qatar's desire to deepen ties with the Trump administration.

The unusual Qatari gift is expected to make waves around the world and highlights the complexity of diplomatic gifts in the modern era. What might have been considered bribery in the past is now accepted as a legitimate gift on the international stage, as long as it stands within the legal framework and accepted protocols. Qatar's unusual step demonstrates its economic power and the importance of the diplomatic relations it seeks to cultivate with the American superpower.

In the coming days, as President Trump arrives for an official visit to Qatar, additional details are expected to be published about this unprecedented gift and its implications for the relations between the two countries.

Photo: Boeing 747-8, Trump: AP according to Article 27a