— that spurs economic growth, curbs planet-warming emissions from cars and planes, and saves drivers
The Qatari government said a final decision hadn’t been made. Still, Trump defended the idea — what would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government — as a fiscally smart move for the country.“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,” Trump posted on his social media site on Sunday night. “Anybody can do that!”
that Trump will use the aircraft as his presidential plane until shortly before he leaves office in January 2029, when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library.The gift was expected to be announced whenQatar, according to ABC’s report, as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the first extended foreign travel of his second term.
Before Trump’s post trumpeting the idea, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché, said in a statement that the “possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense.”“But the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, administration officials,
, have prepared an analysis arguing that accepting the plane would be legal, according to ABC. The Constitution’s“New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America’s greatness and is safe and clean. The MTA’s history of inefficiency, waste, and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed,” Duffy said in a prepared release.
The administration did not immediately provide details of how the reconstruction would proceed or how long it would take.Gov. Kathy Hochul called the move “a major victory for New Yorkers” that would save them tax money. Hochul said she had asked Trump for federal funding.
“I want to thank the President and Secretary Duffy for taking on the sole responsibility to deliver the beautiful new $7 billion station that New Yorkers deserve,” Hochul said in a prepared release.Authority Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said he was glad the federal government was focusing on the project, and that he expected the MTA to participate in the plans as the station’s major leaseholder.