Donald Trump has claimed it would be “stupid” not to accept the gift of a free Qatari plane to replace Air Force One, with the jet already in the US, according to flight tracking data.
Despite concerns raised over the president accepting the $400m (£303m) gift, Mr Trump told reporters on Monday: “I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar.”
Image: The Boeing jet that Mr Trump toured back in February after it took off from an airport in Florida.
Pic: AP/Ben Curtis
He added: “I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer.
“I mean, I could be a stupid person saying: ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane’.”
The jet is currently sitting at San Antonio International Airport, according to tracking data, Sky News’ US partner NBC News reported, adding it has been parked there since 3 April.
It is the same plane the US leader toured at Palm Beach International Airport on 15 February.
Friendly fire
Critics of the plan have warned that the move threatens to turn a global symbol of American power into an airborne collection of ethical, legal, security and counterintelligence concerns.
In an effort to cut off some opposition, Mr Trump said he would not keep the plane after his term finished, instead donating it to a future presidential library.
However, that has done little to quell anger, which has even come from within the Republican party.
Image: Mr Trump’s motorcade parked next to the Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 when the US president toured it in February.
Pic: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
“My view is that it would be better if Air Force One were a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America. That would be ideal,” said senator Josh Hawley.
Senator Rand Paul, when asked whether Mr Trump should accept the plane, simply said: “No.”
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Trump 100: Could Putin, Zelenskyy and Trump really meet?
Some of the most vocal members of his MAGA group of supporters, including Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer, have voiced their opposition to the move in a rare show of dissent to the president they usually back so vociferously.
Mr Trump will likely face questions over the plane in the coming days as he travels to the Middle East, including a stop in Qatar.
Inside the ‘palace in the sky’
The following images are from inside the Boeing 747-8 that Mr Trump is pushing to accept.
It shows the luxury jet before any potential refitting it might undergo in the hands of the US president.
Image: Inside the Qatari plane Mr Trump wants to use as a replacement for Air Force One.
Pic: Amac Aerospace
Image: Pic: Amac Aerospace
Image: Pic: Amac Aerospace
The 78-year-old has previously complained about Boeing taking too long to deliver the new Air Force One planes commissioned during his first term.
The current Air Force One planes were built from scratch near the end of the Cold War and host a range of improved security features, including being hardened against the effects of a nuclear blast and hosting a vast communications suite.
A former US official briefed on the replacement project said there would be no time to add the full host capabilities to the Qatari replacement plane.
There are fears Mr Trump would be compromising security by rushing to modify the replacement jet.
William Evanina, who served as director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center during Mr Trump’s first term, said checking the Qatari plane for surveillance devices alone would “take years”.
Others have also questioned what it means for the sitting president to accept such an expensive gift.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials have been blocked from attending September’s annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has revoked the US visas of delegates from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and denied others from applying for one.
It is the latest step by Donald Trump’s administration to target Palestinians with visa restrictions, and follows the suspension of a programme to allow injured children from Gaza to receive treatment in the US.
Image: Mahmoud Abbas addressed the general assembly in 2024, but is barred from next month’s meeting. Pic: Reuters
“It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace,” a statement from the US State Department said.
It added that, to be considered partners for peace, both groups “must consistently repudiate terrorism, and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by US law and as promised by the PLO”.
Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone on Friday.
The army launched a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation.
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Thick smoke rises from Gaza City after Israeli strikes
Foreign ministers from Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Spain released a joint statement saying the military operations in Gaza City will cause “intolerable deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians”.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering in Gaza City while enduring famine.
Image: An Israeli armoured vehicle in northern Gaza on Friday. Pic: AP
Image: Palestinians ride a truck carrying humanitarian aid in Gaza City. Pic: AP
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Riyad Mansour, said Mr Abbas had planned to lead the delegation to the UN meetings and was expected to address the general assembly at the general debate, which begins on 23 September.
He was also expected to attend a high-level meeting co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on 22 September about a two-state solution, a broad idea involving Israel coexisting with an independent Palestinian state.
The State of Palestine is an observer member of the UN, meaning it can speak at meetings but not vote on resolutions.
Image: The State of Palestine cannot vote on UN resolutions. Pic: AP
US decision ‘contravenes international law’
The Palestinian Authority “expressed its deep regret and astonishment” at the visa decision, calling it “a violation of US commitments” as the host of the UN, and claiming it “contravenes international law”.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body would be seeking clarification in the “hope that this will be resolved”.
Image: Hundreds of diplomats left when Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu began speaking at the general assembly in 2024. Pic: Reuters
The State Department said that the Palestinian Authority’s mission to the UN, comprising officials who are permanently based there, would not be included in the restrictions.
Under a 1947 UN agreement, the US is generally required to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York.
But Washington has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.
The death toll in Gaza has now risen to 63,025, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
It also reported five more malnutrition-related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number during the war to 322, with 121 of them children.
US President Donald Trump has revoked Secret Service protection for former vice president and 2024 Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
A senior adviser to Harris, Kirsten Allen, confirmed the decision. “The vice president is grateful to the United States Secret Service for their professionalism, dedication, and unwavering commitment to safety,” said the adviser.
Typically, vice presidents receive a six-month security detail from the Secret Service after they leave office, although it had been extended to 18 months for Harris, according to officials.
Initially, then-president Joe Biden extended her security arrangements to one year, or January 2026, according to reports.
However, a Secret Service official told Sky News’ US partner, NBC, that Biden subsequently signed an executive memorandum in January increasing the then vice-president’s protection period even further, to 18 months.
Former US presidents receive Secret Service protection for life.
Harris, who lost the 2024 presidential election to Mr Trump, is due to start a book tour for her memoir, “107 Days”, shortly.
She was the Democratic nominee for 107 days after Biden exited the race in the weeks following a challenging debate against Trump.
Mr Trump has also ended federal security protection for others, including former national security adviser John Bolton. Last week, FBI agents raided Bolton’s Maryland home.
In March, the president ended protection for Joe Biden’s children – Hunter and Ashley Biden.
Harris has not ruled out a possible presidential run in 2028. She announced in July that she would not run for governor of California in 2026.
Eighteen other people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 and three adults in their 80s.
Police said Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman, opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the school’s church as children sat in pews.
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17:49
New details released of US school shooting
‘Our hearts are broken’
Harper’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, remembered her as “a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her”.
“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” their statement said.
They urged leaders and communities to “take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”
“Change is possible, and it is necessary – so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies,” the statement added.
Image: The family of Fletcher Merkel said there was a ‘hole in our hearts’. Pic: Family handout/AP
‘Fletcher loved his family’
In a statement reported by Sky’s US partner network NBC News, Fletcher’s father Jesse Merkel blamed the “coward” killer for why the boy’s family can’t “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming”.
He said: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.
“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”
Mr Merkel also praised “the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church”.
“Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful,” he added.
Image: Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters
Mayor calls for assault weapon ban
It comes after Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons, a day after the deadly school shooting.
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6:34
Minneapolis mayor urges assault weapons ban
“Thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it. It’s on all of us to see this through,” the mayor said at a news conference. “We need a statewide and a federal ban on assault weapons.
“We need a statewide and a federal ban on high-capacity magazines. There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload.
“We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle gear. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armour and kill people.”
“It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise those innocent children,” he added, before saying the killer “fantasised” about the plans of other mass shooting attackers and wanted to “obtain notoriety”.
Thomas Klemond, interim CEO of Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare, said at an earlier news conference that the hospital was treating nine patients injured in the shooting.
One child at the hospital was in a critical condition, he added.
Children’s Minnesota Hospital also said that three children remain in its care as of Thursday morning.