Qatar’s $400,000,000 Jet Compared to Statue of Liberty by Trump Ally: Scott Bessent Sparks Outrage Over “Gift to America” Defense

In an interview that quickly sent shockwaves across both Washington and international diplomatic circles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday drew a historical and symbolic parallel that many critics are calling “grotesquely opportunistic.” In an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Bessent defended the Trump administration’s controversial acceptance of a $400,000,000 luxury jet from the government of Qatar by comparing the move to France’s 1886 gift of the Statue of Liberty.

The analogy came as questions mount about ethics, foreign influence, and the extraordinary personalization of U.S. military resources under President Donald Trump’s leadership.

“The French gave us the Statue of Liberty; the British gave us the Resolute Desk,” Bessent told CNN host Jake Tapper, his tone calm but unmistakably assertive. “I’m not sure they asked for anything in advance.” The comparison, ostensibly intended to elevate the Qatari jet to the status of sacred diplomatic gifts of the past, was met with immediate backlash from lawmakers, military officials, and policy watchdogs.

At the center of the firestorm is a specially modified wide-body jet — a customized Boeing 777 outfitted with opulent interiors, advanced military-grade security systems, and the kind of technology typically reserved for presidential travel. The plane was handed over by the Qatari government earlier this month as part of a broader, murky military-diplomatic arrangement.

Officially, the aircraft is designated for U.S. Department of Defense use as a temporary presidential aircraft, filling in until Boeing completes construction of two new Air Force One replacements.

Yet critics say the symbolism and the fine print behind this jet’s journey to Washington paint a much more disturbing picture. Both Democrats and a growing chorus of Republicans are demanding congressional inquiries into the nature of the “gift,” questioning whether Qatar expects something in return — whether explicitly or tacitly — from an administration notorious for its transactional worldview.

Trump himself has leaned into the controversy rather than shying away from it. On his social media platform Truth Social, he reposted a wave of posts praising the Qatari jet as a symbol of international respect. “The plane is NOT President Trump’s!!! It is a gift to AMERICA and the DOD 🇺🇸 Get over it!” read one message he shared, reflecting the combative tone Trump has used to counter critics who suggest this gift is anything but patriotic.

Secretary Bessent also used the Sunday interview to divert attention toward what he called the “real story” behind President Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East — a massive aircraft purchase agreement between Qatar Airways and Boeing. “This is the biggest order in the company’s history,” Bessent said. “So, you know, I think that plane deal is much more important than this other one.”

Indeed, the Boeing deal — reportedly involving the purchase of 160 jets — is a landmark transaction. It comes at a critical time for Boeing, which has faced intense public scrutiny and commercial turbulence after a series of high-profile technical failures. The Qatar agreement could be seen as a financial lifeline, and the Trump administration has eagerly portrayed it as proof that its diplomatic strategy is yielding jobs and economic gains for the American aerospace industry.

But the link between the commercial order and the $400 million military-grade luxury jet “gift” has left many unconvinced that the two deals are as separate as they appear.

Adding fuel to the fire is the planned future of the gifted jet. After being used by the president — in this case, Donald Trump — the aircraft will be transferred to his presidential library, much like President Ronald Reagan’s own retired Air Force One, which was decommissioned and sent to the Reagan Foundation in 2001.

“This goes to the United States Air Force for whoever is president, and at some point, it’ll be like Ronald Reagan. It’ll be decommissioned, because they won’t want it,” Trump told Fox News’s Bret Baier in a recent interview.

That comment — framed with Trump’s characteristic blend of deflection and entitlement — has only intensified concerns that the plane is a personal token more than a national asset. Legal scholars and former Defense officials alike are raising alarms over what appears to be a preordained plan to route a $400 million military aircraft directly into Trump’s legacy project.

As one retired Pentagon ethics advisor noted anonymously, “This would be unthinkable under any other administration. If the Qatari jet ends up under Trump’s name in a museum, this will be studied for decades as a masterclass in soft corruption.”

Many lawmakers are already drawing up formal inquiries. Senate Armed Services Committee members are expected to call Defense Department officials to testify on the deal’s transparency and legality. Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), a former CIA officer, has called for “an immediate audit of the circumstances and stipulations surrounding this jet,” suggesting that such a transfer of military assets could violate long-standing provisions under the Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act, which limits the value and nature of foreign gifts accepted by U.S. officials.

Conservatives are split on the issue. Some hardline MAGA Republicans, like Rep. Matt Gaetz, have publicly celebrated the jet as a tribute to Trump’s global influence. Others, like Sen. Mitt Romney, have voiced deep reservations about the optics and national security implications.

“America does not auction off prestige,” Romney said in a written statement. “We must not become a nation whose military resources are branded like skyscrapers or casinos.”

In a historical context, the comparison to the Statue of Liberty may be the most galling of all. The statue, designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and gifted in recognition of shared democratic ideals, took years of bilateral planning and was rooted in Enlightenment values. It was not a gleaming symbol of personal branding, nor was it intended to temporarily serve any head of state.

The Qatari jet, by contrast, emerges from a nation with ongoing human rights controversies, and it lands not in a neutral museum but in the arsenal of an incumbent president facing multiple ethical investigations.

As the story unfolds, observers say it could set a precedent far beyond the current administration. “The danger isn’t just this one jet,” said a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “It’s that future presidents and their allies may increasingly normalize the idea that luxury gifts from authoritarian governments are acceptable as long as they’re wrapped in patriotic rhetoric.”

With Democrats pushing for oversight and some Republicans quietly distancing themselves from the controversy, the Qatari jet saga has quickly become one of the most symbolic and dangerous episodes of Trump’s post-reelection presidency. And as the gleaming fuselage of the so-called “Statue of Liberty in the Sky” prepares for its first flight under Trump’s command, America faces a moment of reckoning over how far it is willing to go in redefining the boundaries between patriotism and personal indulgence.