Trump said accepting a luxury 747 from Qatar is a no-brainer. But critics say the plan threatens to turn a symbol of American power into a collection of legal and counterintelligence concerns.

In May 2025, the nation of Qatar gave the Department of Defense a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet to be remodeled into a new Air Force One.

Treating the aircraft as safe for the commander in chief with just a few modifications is "absurd," one former senior defense official said.