President Donald Trump said Sunday night that the Defense Department plans to accept a Boeing 747-8 jet to replace Air Force One as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE.”.
Trump is set to embark Monday on his first major foreign trip, which includes a stop in Doha, Qatar.
“The (US Air Force) would have to tear it apart looking for surveillance equipment and inspect the integrity of the plane,” the source said.
“Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a statement.
Replacing the Air Force One aircraft has long been a priority for Trump.
Boeing’s $3.9 billion contract to replace the two Air Force One jets has become an expensive and embarrassing albatross.
“I’m not happy with the fact that it’s taken so long,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in February. »