Please don't think that any of the "but trump" in this content is directed specifically at you. I've researched some of the following rant and everything I checked is spot on. So fire away at the untruths as ye see them.
"So now we are mad about a plane?
Qatar might gift the United States a Boeing 747. And somehow, the internet has decided that Donald Trump is about to park it in his backyard like it’s his new toy. They’re throwing around buzzwords like corruption and emoluments and acting like he’s about to fly off with classified documents in a jet wrapped in gold.
Let’s be clear, if Qatar does give this plane, it wouldn’t be to Trump personally. It would go to the U.S. government, just like dozens of high dollar gifts from foreign nations have for years under every administration. This isn’t new. It’s literally outlined in federal law.
But, if we’re going to throw a fit over foreign gifts, we should at least be consistent about it.
People aren’t mad because a country wants to gift America a plane. They’re mad because it’s Trump. If this exact same situation were happening under any other president, especially one with a “D” next to their name, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. You’d hear words like “diplomacy,” “honor,” and “prestigious partnership.”
But Trump? Felon!
You want to talk about foreign gifts? Let’s talk.
Every sitting president since even before Clinton have received high dollar gifts, some considered ceremonial and often symbolic. That’s what happens when you’re the leader of the free world. Other countries send gifts, it’s tradition, and it’s all laid out in the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act.
That law says if a gift is valued over a few hundred bucks (right now it’s $480), it doesn’t belong to the president. It gets documented and becomes government property. Unless, of course, the official wants to buy it at fair market value. And yes, the State Department puts all of this on public record. There’s even a report every year listing what was given, who gave it, how much it was worth, and where it ended up.
It’s public and definitely not newsworthy… until Trump’s name shows up.
You know what Barack Obama got? A ruby and diamond jewelry set from the Saudi king worth over $130,000. It was recorded, reported, and handed over to the National Archives. That’s how this works.
George W. Bush got gold watches and swords and fancy decorations from Middle Eastern leaders too. So did Bill Clinton. Nobody freaked out. Nobody accused them of being owned by foreign powers.
And then there’s Jill Biden.
In 2023, during a state visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India gifted her a 7.5-carat lab grown diamond. Valued at $20,000.
A spokesperson said it would be “used in the East Wing” and then turned over to the National Archives after they left office.
Well, they left office in January… and here we are, months later, and there’s still no record of that diamond ever making it to the archives.
So where is it?
Funny how no one’s shouting about that. No social media rage posts or lawsuits or think pieces on potential abuse of power. Just silence.
You know why?
Because we haven’t been told to be outraged.
That’s the truth of it. No one’s mad because no one’s been instructed to be mad. If Trump says he enjoys breathing and it’s his favorite hobby, someone on the left will accuse him of using too much oxygen and they’ll threaten impeachment. But a diamond worth twenty grand goes missing? Crickets.
A $20,000 diamond is fine. But a plane, gifted to the government, not the man, has everyone screaming again.
Again I ask, Why?
Because Trump is the only president people are allowed to hate openly and without any nuance. They’ve decided everything he touches is corrupt by default. So now, even if he follows the rules, even if the gift isn’t for him, and even if there’s no proof of wrongdoing, he’s still guilty. Because he might benefit in some way. Possibly.
That’s not justice. That’s obsession.
Look, I’m not saying you have to like the guy. I’m not even saying you have to agree with his politics or vote for him. What I am saying is that the rules don’t change just because it’s him. If we’re going to scrutinize gifts from foreign leaders, let’s do it across the board.
Let’s demand transparency about the diamond. Let’s ask where all those flashy items from past administrations ended up. Let’s pull the gift reports and dig through them line by line. Because right now, this isn’t about ethics. It’s about politics. And it’s about using outrage as a weapon and hoping no one notices how one sided the anger really is.
People want to bring up the Constitution? Great! The Emoluments Clause states no federal official can accept gifts from foreign states without the consent of Congress. But that clause has been tested and clarified over and over again. That’s exactly why the Foreign Gifts Act exists, to regulate these things so officials don’t violate the Constitution.
The Qatar plane, if it’s accepted, has to go through official channels. Just like Obama’s jewelry did. Just like Bush’s gifts did. Just like every item that exceeds the federal threshold. And yes, that includes diamonds.
The problem is, when it’s a Democrat in office, the media wraps it up in a bow and calls it tradition. When it’s Trump, they throw gasoline on it and call it corruption. You can’t change the rules depending on who’s wearing the title. You can’t call it diplomacy when your side does it and criminal activity when someone else does.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a plane, a sword, or a sparkly rock. A gift is a gift. If it’s handled properly and documented, reported, and transferred then we’re done here. Unless we’re going to start dragging every administration through the same mud and questioning everyone’s foreign gifts. Which, honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing. Fair is fair.
But let’s not pretend this is about a plane or act like we suddenly care about legal loopholes or government ethics. Because if we did, we’d be just as loud about a $20,000 diamond still unaccounted for months after the Bidens left office. We’d be questioning where that gift went and asking why it hasn’t shown up in the National Archives.
Instead, all the anger and suspicion gets laser focused on one man because people would rather fight him in the court of public opinion than admit he’s done more in the last 100 days than our previous administration.
We don’t have to agree on the man. But we should at least agree on the principle. We either care about accountability or we don’t.
So if you’re going to be outraged about the plane, fine. Be outraged. Just make sure you’re still mad when someone gets a diamond. Or a sword. Or a royal carpet with their face woven into it.
If we’re gonna keep pretending this is about ethics, then the least we can do is treat everyone the same.
EDIT:
So after looking into it more, I was honestly shocked to find out our current Air Force One planes are over 35 years old. They’ve been flying since the early 1990s. No wonder maintenance is so expensive, parts are harder to find, systems are outdated, and the thing guzzles fuel.
There are already two replacement planes in the works, same 747 models that Qatar’s offering but that project’s been delayed over and over again. Latest update has them coming around 2027, possibly.
Now yes, retrofitting a plane to meet Air Force One standards is expensive. It’s not just new paint and furniture; it’s military grade tech, secure communications, defensive systems. But… we’ve already been doing this since 2017. Those two new planes were bought years ago, and we’ve been sinking money into them ever since. They’ll be over a decade old before they’re even done, because the budget keeps getting kicked around and pushed to other priorities.
So why are we mad now? Because Qatar might gift a similar plane? That’s what I mean when I say it’s all smoke and mirrors. Get people riled up over something without mentioning that the exact same thing is already happening, quietly, behind the scenes and has been for years.
And also worth noting, money for Air Force One replacements was already budgeted through the Department of Defense, so complaining over the cost kind of falls apart.
And to be honest, we probably won’t even need the Qatar plane. It was offered, not accepted. We are mad about hypotheticals.
Meanwhile, we’ve already spent billions on the two that are waiting for their final upgrades, but nobody’s yelling about that. Just outrage on cue because of who they think might benefit from the optics."
apnews.com
