Trump says Qatar offered to gift 747 jet to US after he asked to ‘borrow’ it for Air Force One

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he initially asked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to lend the US a Boeing 747 jet for temporary use as Air Force One, but the Qatari leader offered to give the aircraft to Washington instead, Anadolu reports.

“When you’re given gifts, you take ’em, right?” Trump told the crowd at a rally in Arizona. “When they give you a 747, you say two words: ‘thank you.’”

Trump said he approached Sheikh Tamim because the US presidential aircraft currently in service are ageing.

“We’d love to borrow it because our planes are 35 years old.

“So I called up the head of Qatar, highly respected guy, great guy, young, handsome guy actually … and have plenty of cash,” said Trump.

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“I said, Tamim, if it’s possible, on behalf of the United States of America, the Air Force, I’d love to be able to borrow or use your 747 as Air Force One for a little while while we wait for ours.”

According to Trump, the emir declined to lend the aircraft and instead offered to give it to the US.

“He said, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no. You are my friend. I will not allow you to borrow it to use it. I will allow you to, on behalf of the United States, have it. You may have it’,” Trump recounted.

He said he accepted the aircraft on behalf of the US.

The Qatari aircraft has been designated by the US Air Force as VC-25B and is intended to serve as a bridge aircraft while the military awaits the delivery of two new Boeing presidential aircraft, expected in 2028.

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