Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Tuesday that Qatar’s Boeing 747-8i aircraft gifted to President Donald Trump raises “significant espionage and surveillance problems.”
In a video interview with CNBC, Cruz said he was “not a fan of Qatar” and its funding of adversarial factions in the Middle East.
“I think that the plane poses significant espionage and surveillance problems, so we’ll see how this plays out, but I certainly have concerns,” Cruz said. “I think there will be serious conversations, especially on the security side. We’ve seen in the past, for example, issues with embassies in foreign countries that when we’ve let foreign countries build an American embassy, the walls are literally filled with bugs and listening devices…You think of the conversations that occur on Air Force One. Any nation, but especially a nation like Qatar that funds Hamas, would love to know every conversation that happens on Air Force One.”
Cruz also said the security challenges that come with accepting the jet would be “massive.” When asked about how the Emoluments Clause could govern whether or not Trump could keep the plane after his presidency, he said that question will be “litigated.”
Trump Unhappy with Boeing Delivery Lag
Meanwhile, Boeing could modify requirements for a pair of its 747-8 jets to transform them into presidential transport aircraft and meet its delivery deadline to Trump before the end of his presidency.
Most recent estimates state Boeing might deliver its new Air Force One jet in 2027—still behind its original 2024 target.
Trump has made public and private comments expressing his frustrations with Boeing’s delays, and was reportedly shopping for a Qatari-owned 747-8 jet in February.
On Sunday, ABC News reported that Trump is considering accepting a 747-8 gifted by the royal family of Qatar as a temporary Air Force One. If accepted, the aircraft would be modified by defense contractor L3Harris.
The luxury airplane has been described as a “palace in the sky” for its opulence, and the gift proposal has raised a plethora of questions regarding the legality of a sitting president accepting a $400 million aircraft from another country—and where it would go after Trump’s presidency ends.
