Trump reportedly is set to accept a jet from Qatar’s ruling family for possible use as Air Force One

By ZEKE MILLER and WILL WEISSERT WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump reportedly is set to accept a luxury Boeing - jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar during his trip to the Middle East this coming week and U S functionaries could convert the plane into a anticipated presidential aircraft ABC News stated that Trump will use the plane as a new version of Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office in January when ownership will be transferred to the foundation overseeing his yet-to-be-built presidential library The gift is expected to be stated when Trump visits Qatar as part of a trip that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates the first extended foreign excursion of his second term The Qatari cabinet did not right now respond to a request for comment Sunday night Administration authorities anticipating questions about the president accepting such a large gift from a foreign administration have prepared an analysis arguing that doing so would be legal according to ABC The Constitution s Emoluments Clause Article I Section Clause bars anyone holding establishment office from accepting any present emolument office or title from any King Prince or foreign State without congressional consent Trump intends to convert the Qatari aircraft into a plane he can fly on as president with the Air Force planning to add secure communications and other classified elements to it But it will still have more limited capabilities than the existing planes that were built to serve as Air Force One as well as two other aircraft at this moment under construction according to a former U S official who was briefed about the plane and spoke Sunday on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans that have not yet been made residents The existing planes used as Air Force One are heavily modified with survivability capabilities for the president for a range of contingencies including radiation shielding and antimissile hardware They also include a variety of communications systems to allow the president to remain in contact with the military and issue orders from anywhere in the world The official narrated The Associated Press that it would be accomplishable to briskly add several countermeasures and communications systems to the Qatari plane but that it would be less capable than the existing Air Force One aircraft or long-delayed replacements Neither the Qatari plane nor the upcoming VC- B aircraft will have the air-to-air refueling capabilities of the current VC- A aircraft which is the one the president as of now flies on the official declared Air Force One is a modified Boeing Two exist and the president flies on both which are more than years old Boeing Inc has the contract to produce updated versions but delivery has been delayed while the company has lost billions of dollars on the project Delivery has been pushed to particular time in for the first plane and in Trump s final full year in office for the second ABC announced the new plane is similar to a -year-old Boeing aircraft Trump toured in February while it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport and he was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago club Trump s family business the Trump Organization which is now largely run by his sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump has vast and growing interests in the Middle East That includes a new deal to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar partnering with Qatari Diar a real estate company backed by that country s sovereign wealth fund Qatar which is ruled by the Al Thani family is home to the state-owned airline Qatar Airways The country also has worked to have a close relationship to Trump after he apparently backed a boycott of Doha by four Arab nations in his first term Trump later in his term applauded Qatar Administration agents have brushed off concerns about the president s approach interests blurring with family s business profits They note that Trump s assets are in a trust managed by his children and that a voluntary ethics agreement disclosed by the Trump Organization in January bars the company from striking deals directly with foreign governments But that same agreement allows deals with private companies abroad That is a departure from Trump s first term when the organization published an ethics pact prohibiting both foreign administration and foreign company deals White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt when appealed Friday if the president during his upcoming trip might meet with people ties to his family s business noted it was ridiculous to suggest Trump is doing anything for his own benefit Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai United Arab Emirates contributed to this record