House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) derided President Trump as a “wannabe” king after the president confirmed plans to accept a luxury jet from the Qatari government.
“Wannabe Kings accept corrupt gifts from foreign powers. Not the President,” Jeffries wrote in a post on the social platform X, responding to reporting from ABC News that Trump was planning to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar.
The president subsequently confirmed the reporting that Qatar would gift the Defense Department the luxury jet, which would be available for Trump to use as Air Force One through the end of his term, at which point it would be transferred to the Trump presidential library.
Jeffries hinted that Congress should take action in response to the latest transaction.
“Prohibiting members of Congress from stock trading is clearly not the only thing we must address this year,” the Democratic leader added.
Other Democrats have similarly piled on criticism in response to news of the gift.
Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are trying to force a vote on a measure “to reiterate a basic principle: no one should use public service for personal gain through foreign gifts.” And Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) called for an ethics review in response to reports of the plans to gift the luxury plane.
But Trump has doubled down, saying Monday that it would be “stupid” to turn down the gift, which he called a “great gesture” from the Arab nation.
“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 told reporters Monday.
Trump said the Qataris knew the delivery of a new Air Force One jet had been delayed and wanted to help out because “we’ve helped them a lot over the years in terms of security and safety.”
He said he thinks Qatar made the gesture because he has “kept them safe.”
“If it wasn’t for us, they probably wouldn’t exist right now,” the president added.
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