Trump initially said it was Qatar that reached out and offered him the luxury jet free of charge. In fact, it was the Trump administration that first approached Qatar this winter about acquiring the plane through a sale after the president made clear to aides that he was upset about delays of two Boeing jets purchased during his first term for $3.9 billion, officials said. Discussion about the sale later evolved into Qatar agreeing to provide the plane as a gift, a development reported previously by CNN and the New York Times.
A White House official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic, confirmed that the details of the plane transfer are still being finalized.
Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House, said there is no question, however, that the plane will be given to the United States free.
“As the president has said, this will be a sovereign-to-sovereign gift to the U.S.Air Force,” Kelly said in a statement to The Washington Post.