Hillary Clinton, like many others, is not too impressed by Donald Trump’s decision to accept a $400 million gift from Qatar. The former First Lady took to X to harshly criticize the President’s move.
Donald Trump recently accepted a $400 million jet from the Qatari Defense Ministry. Trump’s move has been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike. After the discussion about the foreign donation picked up, Trump came forward to address it.
The President noted how “stupid” it would be to decline the gift. Reports suggest that the Boeing 747-8 plane would be used as the new Air Force One. Air Force One is the plane every US President has travelled in while flying across the world for official engagements.
In an interview with CNN, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani made it clear that the plane was not a gift to Trump. He went on to note that the plane was a very “simple government-to-government dealing.”
Hillary Clinton was one of the many people who scrutinized Trump accepting the plane. “No one gives someone a $400 million dollar jet for free without expecting anything in return,” the 77-year-old wrote in a X(formerly known as Twitter) post. She concluded the post while adding, “Be serious.”
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Donald Trump boards the $400m luxury jet that Qatar gifted him for the first time pic.twitter.com/no8PmmQ8zO
— DailyStockPick (@DailyStockPick3) May 13, 2025
John Thune, Republican Senate Majority Leader, also predicted that Trump’s decision would be met with much criticism. The South Dakota Senator began by noting that there would be “plenty of scrutiny.” He added, “There are lots and lots of issues around that.” Thune expressed his concern about the decision being met with “very serious questions.”
The Mississippi Senator, Roger Wicker, spoke about the security concerns that come with accepting the jet. He advised that the jet be checked for surveillance equipment. “It would be like the United States moving into the Qatari embassy,” the Senator quipped in an interview with Politico. He also expressed his skepticism over the time it would take for the Qatari jet to be “retooled.”
Qatar gift $400 million VIP luxurious aircraft, ‘flying palace’ Boeing 747-8 to Donald Trump as a gift. The plane is now part of the US AirForce fleet.
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/rx7KlniK1P
— JOE 𝕏 (@gani_jonathan) May 12, 2025
Another aspect that comes with Qatari aircraft is the millions of dollars to make it suitable for the President. Experts also reveal that it would take at least a few years to do the same. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer did not shy away from pointing out the situation.
“Why are American taxpayers being asked to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or more on a plane that will only be used for a year or two?” Schumer questioned. Another Republican Senator, Rand Paul, also noted how big of a mistake it would be for Trump to accept the gift.
During a Fox News interview, he shared how he does not think accepting the plane is worth the “appearance of impropriety.”
