Excuse me? From *QATAR*???!!!! That instantly raises a LOT of questions to answer. Let’s just start with where it’s coming from and go from there. Qatar. Oh, this has me irked. Supposedly, it’s going to be a gift to the Defense Department, and it will be retrofitted from there. Well, I hope, IF it happens, they go over the thing with a fine-tooth comb because who knows what will be hidden in there before they give it to us. Also, a luxury plane? Good grief! Personally, I don’t want tRump, the man WHO PAINTS HIS FACE ORANGE, to have anything luxurious, but that’s me being petty. From CNN:
The Trump administration is set to accept a luxury plane from the Qatari royal family that will be retrofitted and used as Air Force One during the president’s second term, two people familiar with the agreement told CNN. The news comes as President Donald Trump embarks Monday on his first major foreign trip, which includes a stop in Doha, Qatar.
Given the massive value of a Boeing 747-8, the move is unprecedented and raises substantial ethical and legal questions. A Qatari official said the plane is technically being gifted from the Qatari Ministry of Defense to the Pentagon, describing it more as a government-to-government transaction instead of a personal one. The Defense Department will then retrofit the plane for the president’s use with security features and modifications.
Substantial is an understatement. They’re going to expect a LOT from the US in return for this thing. I’ll bet His Lowness isn’t thinking about that. Luxury just makes him think ooooo something special for me. He doesn’t think things through. Now, it’s true that Boeing has been running into a lot of problems with the new jets they are making for the new Air Force 1 and 2, and they are not expected to deliver until 2027 right now. The current planes have been in use for 35 years. That doesn’t mean we should accept something like this.
The plan is for the plane to be donated to the Pampers President’s presidential library after he leaves office, ensuring he can continue to use it, according to the source. (I don’t think he’s going to *have* a presidential library when you consider all the boxes he took home and stashed around Mar-A-Slobo after his first presidency!) And “transfer”? We’re supposed to give it back after the end of his presidency? There will be a lot we need to rip out before we can do that!
“Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate,” Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s media attaché to the US, said Sunday.
“The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” he said.
Heh, I should read the entire article before I start commenting. Derp. As I was saying earlier in this piece:
Within the Secret Service, the potential gifting of a plane by a foreign government for presidential use is being viewed as a “security nightmare,” a law enforcement source told CNN. “The (US Air Force) would have to tear it apart looking for surveillance equipment and inspect the integrity of the plane,” the source said.
Bingo. Security nightmare indeed. Good to know I was correct in my theorizing. Now, here’s something interesting. Boeing is expected to deliver the new Air Force 1 and 2 in 2027. It will probably take 2 years to be able to retrofit this “gift” for the use of Air Force 1. So that means 2027, also. But Agent Orange has been boasting about the luxury of this plane, so of course, he wants it. The timeline is the same – 2027 for either one. What’s the point of a luxury plane that has to be retrofitted versus the new ones Boeing is expected to deliver? Here’s a bit more to close.
“I’m not happy with the fact that it’s taken so long,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One in February. “There’s no excuse for it.” He said he wouldn’t turn to Boeing’s European rival, Airbus, but would consider buying a used 747 and having a different company refurbish it for use as Air Force One.
The challenge is not the basic jet, but what it takes to turn a run-of-the-mill Boeing 747 into the flying communications and command post fit for the president of the United States, Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm, previously told CNN. They are supposed to be able to protect their occupants from missile attacks or even the shock waves of a nuclear blast.
“You can have a jet anytime,” he said. “But it takes a great deal of work to have encrypted communications and manage the military and federal government from anywhere around the world in any circumstance.”
Exactly. Luxury or no, either one has its problems and challenges to overcome. I would guess he wants the luxury plane just because it’s all, well, luxury, and El Presidente Imbécil thinks he deserves that. (*gag*) I guess he thinks anything else isn’t good enough for his position. It should be interesting to see what comes out of this. Stay tuned. Thanks for sticking with me!
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Two words: emoluments clause.
If it is going to go to his library for his personal use,,it is not a gift from Qatar to.the U.S. but a personal.gift,,and that violates the emoluments clause.
Oooooo thank you for pointing this out! Much appreciated!
The Emoluments Clause, found in Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution, restricts federal officials from accepting gifts, emoluments, offices, or titles from foreign governments without Congressional consent. This clause is also known as the Title of Nobility Clause. The purpose is to prevent foreign influence and potential corruption by ensuring that public officials prioritize the interests of the United States.
From an aerospace engineering perspective this is a case of valuing FUNCTION over form. Air Force 1 is a call sign for ANY fixed wing aircraft a President happens to fly on, and would be if we had a President who was an accomplished pilot/aviator taking an ultra-light up for a spin. But there are planes, always two primary ones fitted specifically for mutliple FUNCTIONS when flying a President around. First is defensive capability. Yep, there are means to electronically protect it and also actual measures like chaff and flares that can be deployed. Then there’s the ability to handle just about any medical emergency including an operating room! Then there’s the encrypted communications. It’s literally an airborne mini White House.
OF COURSE it takes years to fit a 747 out for all this. The details are staggering. Even the freaking ‘livery’, the paint scheme affects the aircraft! That became a point of contention when Trump wanted it redone to look like the red, white and blue of his campaign “Trump Force One” and there were problems. Trump threw a hissy fit of course. It doesn’t help the time frame that the contract was made ‘fixed cost’ which instead of allowing for inevitable cost overruns meant Boeing would have to absorb significant losses. That in turn led to delays to be able to keep from losing billions that would in turn harm the overall company!
This is every bit as stupid as during the Reagan administration when they allowed SOVIET construction of a new American embassy. It was one GIANT listening device and a huge waste of money. There is no way in hell to prevent a jet ‘donated’ from another country to be fitted with hidden listening devices. That could be activated AFTER it was supposedly swept for bugs!
But Trumpty wants his “bling”, and to travel in the kind of luxury some middle easter potentate travels in. I’m told the jets that primarily serve as AF-1 are pretty damned plush, even for the passengers. The actual office and bedroom suites are luxurious I’m sure. Just not blinged out with gold leaf, gold toilets and faucets and all that nonsense that Trump so loves. But I’ll bet that plane Qutar wants to give him is!
Thank you for this, Denis! I wish I’d had all this information when I was writing this column. But! You pointed out everything I missed, and I’m very grateful for that.
He doesn’t need security. He doesn’t do anything presidential anyway.
Just a makeup station so he can PAINT HIS FACE ORANGE and a golf simulator, and he’s set.
Wonder what Qataris want in return
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