Politics | Air Force One Trump's Jet From Qatar Is Now in US Hands Pentagon confirmed receipt of the aircraft on Wednesday By Kate Seamons Posted May 21, 2025 1:00 PM CDT Copied President Donald Trump holds a pen given by Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as they exchange documents during a signing ceremony at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) In what the Guardian terms a "chaotic" meeting Wednesday between President Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramaphosa at one point said, "I'm sorry I don't have a plane to give you." Trump doesn't need it. The Defense Department on Wednesday confirmed receipt of a Boeing 747 that had been gifted by Qatar to be converted into a new Air Force One. From a Pentagon rep, per the New York Times: "The secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations. The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the president of the United States." But receipt of the 13-year-old aircraft, which CNBC values at $400 million, is just step one. It will now require extensive modifications in order to significantly upgrade its security; the Times mentions measures "such as missile defense systems or even systems to protect the plane from the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear blast." Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Tuesday cautioned that it's a major undertaking that can't be rushed. "If President Trump insists on converting this plane to a hardened Air Force One before 2029, I worry about the pressures [the Air Force] may be under to cut corners on operational security," she said. The Pentagon has yet to provide a timetable. Read These Next A Virginia politician was set on fire at his office. This Fed decision was unlike any other in decades. One wrong step costs teen at Yellowstone. An arrest has been made in the Devil's Den murders. Report an error