US EditionTrump Hides Cost of ‘Free’ Air Force One
- In 2024, it was disclosed during hearings that $934 million originally allocated to the Sentinel ICBM modernization effort was redirected to support the refurbishment of a Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar to serve temporarily as Air Force One.
- This diversion arose amid Boeing's delays delivering new Air Force One planes and increased concerns about the legality and security of accepting a foreign donated jet.
- Officials concealed renovation costs by embedding them within the over-budget missile program and declined to provide detailed expense breakdowns or timelines during congressional hearings.
- Senator Jeanne Shaheen stated that the retrofit likely costs less than $400 million, but economists estimate total spending near $1 billion, warning this weakens U.S. credibility.
- The plane needs security checks and extensive renovations before use, will only see limited presidential service, and is intended for transfer to Trump's presidential library after his term.
12 Articles
12 Articles
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart signed an agreement detailing the terms of Qatar’s “conditional donation” of a Boeing aircraft to the Pentagon, confirming that the U.S. will pay nothing for the aircraft, according to a copy of the memorandum of understanding revised by CNN. The agreement, signed on July 7 by Hegseth and Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister for Defence Affairs, Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-T…
By Natasha Bertrand, CNN US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart signed an agreement detailing the terms of Qatar’s “unconditional donation” of a Boeing jetliner to the Pentagon, confirming that the US will not pay anything for the aircraft, according to a copy of the memorandum of understanding reviewed by CNN. The agreement, signed on July 7 by Hegseth and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affa…
Qatari plane that could be new Air Force One will be ‘unconditional’ gift to the Pentagon, agreement says
The transfer of the jet from Qatar to the Trump administration sparked a political firestorm in the spring among Democrats and several influential Republicans.
'Guess where the money came from?' Outrage sparked as cost of 'free' Air Force One is revealed
President Donald Trump has loudly criticized the roughly $2.5 billion renovation of the Federal Reserve headquarters. Yet, when it comes to another costly Washington project — refurbishing a “free” Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar — talk around the White House goes silent, the New York Times noted in a report Sunday. Air Force officials appear to have disguised the cost of revamping the Qatar‑donated jet by embedding it within the over‑budget S…
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