President Trump criticizes Boeing, poised to accept ‘palace in the sky’ jet from Qatar

President Donald Trump sharply criticized Boeing for its delay in producing a new Air Force One jetliner. Now, the president is poised to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet from the ruling family of Qatar, which it will temporarily use as Air Force One.

“We are disappointed it has taken Boeing so long to build Air Force One. We have one that’s 40 years old,” Trump said during a White House press conference Monday morning.

Boeing proposed a new delivery date of 2027 for its long-delayed replacement of the current Air Force One fleet, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Darlene Costello told reporters. But it got extended to 2029.

The two Boeing 747-8 aircraft were originally negotiated during President Trump’s first term and slated for delivery in 2024, but have been pushed back as the Air Force re-evaluates security requirements. Costello said the government temporarily lifted some security requirements to move production along.

“When I came back (into the presidency), I said, ‘By the way, what’s going on with the Boeings that are coming in?’ ‘Well, sir, they’re way behind,’ and they are. They’re way behind. They were way behind, another mess that I inherited from Biden, and it’s going to be a while before we get them,” Trump said.

Details of Qatari plane gift to Trump

To ease the interim gap, the Department of Defense has contracted L3Harris Technologies to retrofit a former Qatari 747 for presidential use by year-end, while Boeing works to meet the revised timeline.

The ruling party of Qatar offered the $400 million gift, dubbed “a flying palace” because of its opulent interior, to the Trump administration. On Truth Social, Trump acknowledged the gift, calling it a “very public and transparent transaction” with the Defense Department. Attorney General Pam Bondi and top White House lawyer David Warrington reportedly concluded this was “legally permissible.”

Trump told reporters on Monday that the government of Qatar will not receive anything in return for the gift. The plane would be put on display at the Trump presidential library after his term ends.

Despite the revised 2027 target, a senior White House official warned the program could slip until 2029 or later amid ongoing component shortages, rising costs, and evolving mission specifications.

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