The US has accepted a plane intended for the Air Force One fleet from Qatar, despite the widespread criticism the gift has received from both Trump supporters and dissenters.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Wednesday that the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
The plane will need to be modified and upgraded with additional security systems before it can be used as part of Air Force One – the president’s official mode of air transport.
The plane is a gift from the Qatari royal family and is estimated to be worth $400m (£300m). The White House says that the new plane will be transferred to Trump’s presidential library at the end of his term.
The US Constitution has a provision known as the Emoluments Clause, which prohibits gifts to public officials from foreign governments without permission of Congress. The transfer has not received congressional approval.
The White House insists that the gift is legal as Trump argued the plane was given to the US defence department and not to him personally. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has said the transfer “is a government-to-government transaction.”
The current Air Force One fleet includes two 747-200 jets which have been in use since 1990, along with several smaller 757s.