Donald Trump on why he won't turn down ‘free, very expensive’ Qatari jet gift: ‘Without us, they wouldn’t exist’

United States President Donald Trump has indicated that he would not turn down the Qatari gift of a “free and very expensive airplane”, while underlining that he would not use it after leaving office. Terming the gift a “great gesture” and justifying accepting the expensive gift, Donald Trump said that the US keeps Qatar safe and without their help, “they probably wouldn't exist right now.”

When asked if Qatar would expect anything in exchange, Donald Trump just reiterated, “It is a great gesture.”

“I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person, say 'no we don't want a free, very expensive airplane',” Trump said at the White House. He added, “It’s not a gift to me; it’s a gift to the Department of Defense.”

Over the weekend, officials from the US and Qatar acknowledged they were discussing an arrangement in which Qatar would offer a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet for use as Air Force One.

Speaking with reporters, Donald Trump said, “It's a nice gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I could be a stupid person to say we don’t want a free, expensive airplane, but I thought it was a great gesture.”

“I think it was a gesture because we have helped—and will continue to help—all of those countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and others. We keep them safe. If it wasn’t for us, they probably wouldn’t exist right now.”

Donald Trump said, “I think this is just a gesture of good faith. I don’t get it. Someday it’ll be like Ronald Reagan—they get to a certain age and decommission the plane. It will go to my library. I thought it was a great gesture, and it’s something that was done by Ronald Reagan. They decommissioned the plane, made the library—a Boeing 707—and it actually made the library more successful. So it was good.”