Reports emerged that there was a request from the Trump administration before Qatar provided a private jet for U.S. President Donald Trump.
On the 19th (local time), CNN reported that Qatar's decision to provide a Boeing 747 to be used as 'Air Force One' was due to a prior request from the Trump administration. This contradicts claims from Trump’s side that Qatar presented the aircraft as a gift to President Trump.
According to CNN, after President Trump took office in January this year, the Ministry of National Defense contacted aircraft manufacturer Boeing, and was informed that it would take about two years to deliver a new aircraft to replace the aging presidential jet.
However, the Trump administration wanted to receive a replacement aircraft much sooner. Consequently, the defense ministry, the Air Force, and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff sought alternative solutions.
In this situation, Boeing provided a list of customers that had aircraft suitable to be temporarily used as 'Air Force One' to the Trump administration, and Qatar was among them.
Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Defense proposed to 'buy the plane,' and Qatar expressed willingness to make the sale for money. CNN reported that four anonymous sources confirmed this information during the interview.
One of the sources explained that initially, there were discussions about leasing the aircraft instead of purchasing it outright by the U.S. government.
However, despite this reality, President Trump has repeatedly emphasized that the aircraft was a gift from the Qatari royal family without any expectations of compensation.