Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley sharply questioned President Donald Trump’s judgment regarding his intention to accept a luxury jumbo jet from the government of Qatar.
“Accepting gifts from foreign nations is never a good practice. It threatens intelligence and national security. Especially when that nation supports a terrorist organization and allows those terrorist regimes to live on its soil,” Haley posted on X.
On Sunday, it was reported that the ruling family of Qatar is considering giving a $500 million luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to Trump, which he intends to use as Air Force One for the remainder of his term.
The pending arrangement comes as Trump begins a four-day visit to the Middle East for a series of talks regarding foreign investment in the U.S. by Saudi Arabia, efforts to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and ending the war in the Gaza Strip.
“Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the President and US can be bought. If this were Biden, we would be furious,” she said.
Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attache to the U.S, said that the transfer of the plane has not been made official and is still under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense, adding that everything is being reviewed by both countries’ legal departments.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Sunday that “any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency.”
While Haley is considered a more moderate conservative, many stalwart Republicans have also questioned the move, with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, saying that if the gift goes through, it will raise “significant espionage and surveillance problems.”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had similar concerns, saying that if he were commander in chief, he wouldn’t take it.
“I’ve spent time trying not to sell weapons to Qatar because they have human rights violations of their people,” Paul said. “I really haven’t been a big fan, and I wonder if our ability to judge their human rights record would be clouded by the fact of this large gift.”
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