President Donald Trump described new details about the Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar as a temporary Air Force One, saying the United States could not have purchased such a plane because it would not spend that sum. He said Boeing called it the best 747 ever built, and that when he approached the Emir, the Emir insisted on donating it to the country.
In his latest remarks on the Qatari-donated Boeing 747 interim Air Force One, President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, insisted on donating the aircraft to the country rather than lending it. Trump called the emir a 'gentleman,' adding that the United States 'could not have accepted such a plane because we wouldn't spend such sums.' He said Boeing described the aircraft as the best 747 ever produced.
This rounds out a sequence of disclosures The Zioneer has tracked since Monday evening. At 21:38 Jerusalem on Monday, the desk reported that Trump confirmed the Qatari 747 would serve as an interim Air Force One while new presidential jets remain under construction. Within the same bulletin, a separate item noted Trump praised the Qatari aircraft as the 'greatest ever built.' By Monday evening the desk also reported that Trump had boarded the aircraft for its inaugural flight to North Dakota for US 250th anniversary events — a report that was repeated in multiple versions as details emerged. The initial thread entry, also at 21:38 Jerusalem Monday, cited CNN that the flight was planned for Wednesday; subsequent thread items confirmed the flight took place.
The Qatari aircraft was publicly displayed in New York after being painted, as The Zioneer reported on Saturday, June 20. No formal handover date has been announced. Trump's warm relationship with the emir has been a consistent thread: the desk reported on June 16 that Trump told the Qatari leader during a phone call, 'You will always be a friend.'
The timeline of when the Emir first offered the plane and whether any conditions were attached remains unclear. The desk has not independently confirmed Boeing's stated assessment of the aircraft.
8 developments
- StrongTrump displays Qatar-gifted interim Air Force One in New York
- DevelopingTrump's interim Air Force One enters operational readiness
- DevelopingQatar-donated interim Air Force One painted in New York, timed to billion-dollar pledge
- StrongTrump, before maiden flight on Qatari jet: Iran nuclear disarmament 'moving along well'
Source and signal
- Internal intake