Trump says it would be ‘stupid’ not to accept Qatari plane – as jet already in the US
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.
The US president toured the Boeing 747-8 earlier this year and he is now preparing to accept it as a gift from the Qatari royal family.
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.”
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.
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.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
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.
Inside the Qatari plane Mr Trump wants to use as a replacement for Air Force One.
Pic: Amac Aerospace
Pic: Amac Aerospace
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.
Read more:
Trump attacks Europe as he hails China ‘reset’
Why Trump’s Middle East tour takes on new importance
Sky correspondent on her run-in with Trump loyalist
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
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.
Rudy Giuliani has been hospitalised following a car crash in New Hampshire, a spokesperson for the former New York City mayor said.
Mr Giuliani suffered “a fractured thoracic vertebrae, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg” when his vehicle was struck from behind while driving on a highway near Manchester on Saturday evening, according to Michael Ragusa, Mr Giuliani’s head of security.
“He sustained injuries but is in good spirits and recovering tremendously,” Mr Ragusa said in a statement on X, adding: “This was not a targeted attack.”
Mr Giuliani was in a rental car and “no one knew it was him”, according to Mr Ragusa.
His head of security said the 81-year-old had been “flagged down by a woman who was the victim of a domestic violence incident” and contacted police on her behalf. The crash shortly after was “random and unrelated” to the domestic violence incident, Mr Ragusa said.
Rudy Giuliani attended Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in January. Pic: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via Reuters
Mr Giuliani, who worked as an attorney for Donald Trump in his failed efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, is expected to be released from hospital in a few days.
His son, Andrew Giuliani, thanked people for reaching out after hearing about his father’s accident, writing on X: “Your prayers mean the world.”
“As a son, I can tell you that I’m honored to have a Dad that I can call the toughest SOB I’ve ever seen,” he added.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
US
US blocks Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials from United Nations’ annual meeting in New York
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.
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”.
Offensive will cause ‘intolerable deaths’
Several US allies, including France, Malta, and Australia have announced plans to recognise Palestine as a state at September’s United Nations General Assembly. Canada and the UK will too, unless Israel meets certain conditions.
Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a dangerous combat zone on Friday.
The army launched a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
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”.
Gaza latest: Israel’s Gaza City offensive condemned
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering in Gaza City while enduring famine.
An Israeli armoured vehicle in northern Gaza on Friday. Pic: AP
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.
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”.
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.
Read more from Sky News:
Analysis: Israel is killing a lot of journalists
Hospitals ‘overwhelmed’ by malnutrition cases
Tony Blair meets Trump over Gaza
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
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.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment11 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024