Topline
Qatari Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, on Tuesday said his country’s offer to gift a $400 billion luxury jet to President Donald Trump’s administration was a “normal” and transparent transaction between two allies, as he dismissed allegations that Qatar was using the lavish gift in an attempt to buy influence with the White House.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani speaks at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.
Key Facts
In an interview on stage at the Qatar Economic Forum, Al-Thani said a “lot of controversy has been created” out of what he called “an exchange between two countries.”
The prime minister said Qatar’s relationship with the U.S. is “very institutional,” and it has spanned multiple administrations, and the “plane story” is simply a transaction between the Qatari Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Al-Thani echoed the White House’s sentiment, saying the transaction is being done with “full transparency and very legally,” and a part of the decades-long cooperation between the two nations.
The prime minister then suggested that the luxury jet transfer offer acts of bilateral cooperation, like Qatar aiding in the airlifts from Afghanistan during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal and the security deployment by the U.S. during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Al-Thani suggested the bribery allegations were efforts to malign his country’s image unfairly.
Why Is Qatar Gifting A Plane To The Trump Administration?
When asked if he was concerned about the Congressional scrutiny future Qatari deals would draw due to this proposed transaction, Al-Thani said none of this was being done “under the table” or in a covert manner. The prime minister said “a proper legal review” was being conducted by the two countries’ defense departments and “nothing has happened yet actually.” Al-Thani then tried to explain why the plane was being offered, saying: “Our intention is to have a very clear exchange that the U.S. is in need for…to accelerate a temporary Air Force One. Qatar has the ability to provide this, we stepped up.” Al-Thani then added, “A lot of nations have gifted the U.S. many things,” before he appeared to mention the Statue of Liberty jokingly.
