Trump Has One Big Gripe About Qatar Luxury Jet

President Trump makes no secret of admiring "big, beautiful" things, but the controversial $400 million luxury jet he says was a gift to the US from Qatar may be too large, even for him. Although Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the recently accepted Boeing 747, which the Defense Department plans to convert into Air Force One, was a "beautiful, big, magnificent, free airplane for the United States Air Force," it may be too much for him, personally, per the Guardian. More:

• Trump's gripe: "They tried to say: 'Oh, it's Trump's airplane,'" he said of the 747-8 aircraft from Qatar, which is about 18 feet longer than the 747-200B that serves as the current Air Force One. "Oh, yeah, sure. It's too big; frankly, it's much too big." Still, the president noted that he was "very proud" that he finagled the deal, per the Washington Post.

• Controversy: Trump has been under fire from both sides of the aisle for accepting the plane, with some saying it's a violation of the Constitution's ban on accepting foreign gifts, per the AP. He hedged a bit, though, on Wednesday when asked if the jet definitely would be converted into Air Force One, a process expected to take years. The plane is currently "being refitted for military standard," is all Trump would say. When pushed about the conversion price tag, the president replied it would still be "a hell of a lot less than building a new one."
• The conversion: Retrofitting the aircraft, expected to be carried out in Texas, will be undertaken by defense contractor L3Harris, per the Post. In addition to the estimated $1.5 billion it could take to bring the plane up to needed security and safety standards, it could run another $500 million to rip all that sensitive gear out when Trump leaves office—at which point Trump has said the plane will head to his presidential library foundation.
• Another wrinkle: Per the Post, the transfer of the plane may not even be a done deal, despite the Defense Department's claims otherwise. Sources tell the paper that the US and Qatari governments haven't legally finalized the arrangement, and that Qatar wants a "memorandum of understanding" set up in which it's acknowledged that the Trump administration initiated the exchange, and that Qatar wouldn't be responsible for who eventually ends up with the jet in their hands.

(More Air Force One stories.)