NATIONAL NEWS

Defense Department accepts Boeing 747 from Qatar for Trump’s use

May 21, 2025, 10:16 AM | Updated: 2:58 pm

FILE - A 13-year-old private Boeing aircraft that President Donald Trump toured on Saturday to chec...

FILE - A 13-year-old private Boeing aircraft that President Donald Trump toured on Saturday to check out new hardware and technology features, and highlight the aircraft maker's delay in delivering updated versions of the Air Force One presidential aircraft, takes off from Palm Beach International Airport, Feb. 16, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as Air Force One, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department will “work to ensure proper security measures” on the aircraft to make it safe for use by the president. He said the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”

Trump was asked about the move Wednesday while he was in the Oval Office with South Africa’s president and said, “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet.”

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Defense Department accepts Boeing 747 from Qatar for Trump’s use