Chris Dobstaff Associate Editor, Newsletters

Sat, 17 May 2025 19:49:00 +0000

BECOME A MEMBER • Newsletters • MyForbes

There was plenty of political hubbub this week over President Donald Trump’s acceptance of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressing concerns over potential security and conflict-of-interest issues related to such an extravagant gift.

Many have speculated that the plane, which Trump would like to make the next Air Force One, serves as a way for the Qataris to curry favor with the famously transactional president. But as Forbes’ Jeremy Bogaisky reported this week, there could be a much simpler reason: They just don’t want it anymore.

The royal family put the jet on the market in 2020, according to an archived listing, but it has failed to find a buyer. At this point, giving the plane to Trump could save Qatar’s rulers a decent sum of money on maintenance and storage costs, aviation experts told Forbes.

Read more about the controversy and why some think the gift could just be “a creative disposal strategy” in the full story here, and keep scrolling below for more great journalism from the Forbes newsroom.

Chris Dobstaff Associate Editor, Newsletters

Follow me on Forbes.com

Must Reads

Andris Veliks - Forbes Weekly

Chris Dobstaff ​Associate Editor, Newsletters​

Chris Dobstaff Associate Editor, Newsletters