ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — President Trump groaned about returning from a lavish trip to the Middle East Friday aboard an aging Air Force One — before proclaiming “new ones are coming” amid bipartisan outcry over his plans to accept a gifted luxury jet from Qatar to use as a replacement.
“I leave now and get onto a 42-year-old Boeing. But new ones are coming. New ones are coming,” Trump said during an event in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates.
Trump served as America’s chief salesman on the three-nation tour — including delivering windfalls for Boeing, with Qatar Airways and the UAE’s Etihad Airways agreeing to spend more than $110 billion on 238 American-made passenger jets.
President Trump speaks during a US-UAE investment forum with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at Qasr al-Watan, the presidential palace of the United Arab Emirates, on May 16, 2025. Getty Images
Air Force One prepares for departure from Qatar during President Trump’s Middle East trip in Doha on May 15, 2025. AFP via Getty Images
The interior of the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet gifted to the US from Qatar’s royal family. YouTube/Spotti Flight“Boeing makes the best plane, and they’ve had some headaches over the past years,” Trump said during a business presentation on the final day of his trip.
It’s unclear if Trump’s declaration that new versions of Air Force One are coming signals he changed his mind about accepting the $400 million Qatari “palace on wings,” which Trump previously said “only a fool” would refuse.
Congressional Republicans including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have criticized the president’s plan, as have influential conservatives including pundit Mark Levin and President George W. Bush’s White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
President Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at a signing ceremony at the Royal Palace in Doha on May 14, 2025. AFP via Getty Images
President Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at the end of his trip to Qatar at the Al-Udeid air base. AFP via Getty ImagesTrump, who said Monday he was “disappointed” that Boeing would be unable to deliver new versions of Air Force One before 2027, praised the company during his trip — and sat next to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg during an event in Qatar in Thursday.
The president touted the plane-maker’s role in developing the new F-47 fighter jet, named partially in the 47th president’s honor, and said he wants to award a new contract for it to build a previously undisclosed F-55 fighter jet as well.
