In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar.

It is to be available for use by Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.

The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second term, according to sources familiar with the plans.

  • D_C@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    More truthful title:
    Fat Orange Imbecile Openly Accepts Bribe. Government Secrets Will Be Sent Back For Years To Come.

  • Hikuro-93@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    My first thought seeing this news was “Why would Trump get such a plane for other future Presidents?”.

    Firstly, Trump being Trump would find a way to make the plane personally his, even placing some of those special Rolls Royce-made silent engines he likes so much. Secondly he already has his own Trump Force 1 to compete with the current AF1 - would he really be able to see another president flying around on his lux-plane while he has to return to the “poor-billionaire’s” TF1?

    Smells like yet another small sign that he isn’t really planning on leaving. Seems like he’s just getting his own upgraded Trump Force 1 under the guise of presidency, using taxpayer money, to serve him until he dies - not until the end of the term - and spend a heck-a-ton more taxpayer money in operating costs to fund his weekly golf trips.

    • blueeggsandyam@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      There is no way he gives up the plane after his presidency. He is saying he will now to stop anyone from being able to argue that there is any corruption.

    • Gloomy@mander.xyz
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      1 day ago

      My first thought seeing this news headline without reading the article under it was […]

      Ftfy

    • msfroh@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      The article summary in the post explains that it will be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation just before he leaves office. So it won’t be available for future presidents.

  • njm1314@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    By law aren’t gifts over a certain value supposed to become the property of the American people?

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Yeah, it is in no way secure.

      You could fully disassemble it and resemble it and you still couldn’t be totally sure it’s free of bugs and taps. Accepting this gift is a truly enormous security breach.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    LOL, in New York Times headline, “and Post-Presidency Travel”

    that dude seems to plan to try to stay by any means necessary until he shuffles off this mortal coil.

    • auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 days ago

      He’s too old there’s no way they’d risk it. Even if it’s just a ceremonial election for his chosen candidate which he retains influence over.

    • turtlesareneat@discuss.online
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      2 days ago

      Imagine, the day he dies, Elon rules out Trump AI designed to continue his legacy forever, term limits won’t matter because it’s not a person.

  • tal@lemmy.today
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    2 days ago

    The plane will initially be transferred to the United States Air Force, which will modify the 13-year-old aircraft to meet the U.S. military specifications required for any aircraft used to transport the president of the United States, multiple sources familiar with the proposed arrangement said.

    Setting aside intelligence and influence concerns mentioned by others in the thread already, I can’t really see how this is faster than modifying planes already in the US. I mean, it’s a plane with luxury stuff. Surely the issue isn’t putting luxury stuff in the thing, but putting security stuff in.

    Hell, if the USAF has to start over from scratch, I’d think that it’d take longer, if anything.

    • Initiateofthevoid@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 days ago

      “I bought a plane. It’s really two planes, Air Force One. Now if Boeing would build the damn thing it would be nice, too. We don’t build like we used to. We don’t build too fast,”

      The possible future where Air Force One is Boeing quality with Qatari design and its critical security features are unnecessarily retrofitted at “move fast and break things” speed… and the only people who will ever use it are Trump’s camp-de-shit…

      I like it. It’s a nice future.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Oh, Cheeto wants it built too fast?

      I’d love for him to travel on a Boeing airplane that was built too fast on top of being a Boeing. It would solve so much shit in this world if he did

    • gedhrel@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I was under the impression that Musk was going to “fix” Boeing’s delivery of AF1. I think his suggestions included relaxing the security clearance for new hires and getting everyone working 60-hour weeks.

      News of that all went very quiet after the announcement though.

    • ramble81@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      Airplane designs are constantly being updated just because the shape doesn’t have to be. Case in point, though developed in 1963, the latest generation of 747 (the 747-8i) started being delivered in 2012, with the last one in 2023, which is still relatively recent in airplane years.

      For another example the B-52 was first introduced in 1955, but is on its 10th generation (B-52J) with updates to avionics as of 2020. So it doesn’t take much to find a good design and then just keep iterating and updating it.

  • ThePantser@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    That’s a nice big target and it’s probably missing the usual AFO anti missile gadgets. They will probably rig it with a kill switch and when Trump misbehaves or flips on their deal they will trigger it.

  • Trimatrix@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Is it bad that things are so bad that this is a win win? like, chance of it being built with Boeing quality? Win. Bugged? Still better than Signal so win. Foreign adversaries threat that uniquely only affects those on board the plane? win with some collateral damage.

    I am not seeing a downside