Trump accepts Qatar’s Boeing 747 gift to be refitted as new Air Force One

President Donald Trump has officially accepted Qatar’s Boeing 747 jet gift to be refitted as Air Force One, the Pentagon revealed.

According to chief spokesperson Sean Parnell, “The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations. The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the President of the United States. For additional information, we refer you to the United States Air Force.”

The news of the deal had prompted concerns from lawmakers over how to retrofit a foreign nation’s plane to serve as a mobile Oval Office with the highest levels of security and over what Qatar might want from Trump in return for the gift. Trump ally Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, raised concerns about the significant espionage and surveillance problems the plane might pose, while liberals like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., criticized the acceptance of the $400 million flying palace from Qatar as corrupt and unconstitutional.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., expressed his worries about the safety of the president, stating, “Qatar is not, in my opinion, a great ally. I mean, they support Hamas.”

In response to the criticisms, Trump defended the transaction, stating, “So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA.”

In 2018, Trump awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion fixed-price agreement to manufacture two new jets to serve as Air Force One. However, the project is currently around five years behind schedule and $2.5 billion over budget.

This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available. Stay tuned for further updates on this development.