Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) emphasized that discussions regarding Qatar providing a temporary aircraft to substitute for Air Force One were initiated by the Biden administration.
Speaking to CNN, Mullin highlighted the need for a temporary replacement for Air Force One, noting that President Donald Trump had been traveling on an aging aircraft. “Here’s what’s interesting to me, what the media isn’t telling you — what no one’s talking to you about, is the same 747 has been in negotiations for a year,” Mullin stated. “The Biden administration is the one that started these conversations. It didn’t start underneath the Trump administration. Why? Because we need a back-up for Air Force One.”

Mullin went on to explain that the current Air Force One model is outdated and lacks a suitable replacement in case of an emergency or technical failure. “The President of the United States is flying around on a 40-year-old plane, and there is no back-up for it,” Mullin said. “The back-up we had, the air frame started having structural issues. No one’s discussing that part.”
In a post shared on Truth Social, President Trump commented on the news that the Department of Defense would be receiving a temporary aircraft at no cost. He wrote:“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.”
According to ABC News, individuals familiar with the agreement say the luxury Boeing 747 will first be handed over to the U.S. Air Force. It will then be adapted to meet the standards required for presidential travel. Afterward, the plane will eventually be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation.
“The plane will initially be transferred to the United States Air Force, which will modify the 13-year-old aircraft to meet the U.S. military specifications required for any aircraft used to transport the president of the United States, multiple sources familiar with the proposed arrangement said.”
“The plane will then be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation no later than Jan. 1, 2029, and any costs relating to its transfer will be paid for by the U.S. Air Force, the sources told ABC News.”
Breitbart’s Nick Gilbertson reported that when an ABC News journalist asked Trump how he’d respond to people suggesting the jet was a personal gift, Trump didn’t mince words.The reporter began, “who view that luxury jet as a personal gift to you; why not leave it—”
Trump cut in with, “You’re ABC fake news, right?”
He continued, “Let me tell you, you should be embarrassed asking that question. They’re giving us a free jet. I could say, ‘No, no, no…I want to pay you a billion or $400 million, or what it is.’ Or I could say, ‘Thank you very much.’”
Meanwhile, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s Media Attaché to the U.S., pushed back on earlier reports, stating that while discussions were underway, no final decision had been made.
“Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate,” Al-Ansari said in a statement. “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.”