An ABC reporter asked US President Trump, "What would you say to someone who sees this luxury jet as a personal gift to you?" the report said. Trump then responded, "You're the ones reporting fake news on ABC, aren't you?" "You should be embarrassed to ask that question." "They're going to give us a free airplane. I can say, 'No, no, no, don't give it to us.' I want to pay you a billion dollars. I want to pay you a billion, or 400 million dollars.' ...... Or I can say thank you very much." He emphasized that "it's not a gift to me, it's a gift to the Department of Defense," and criticized "ABC as a disaster."
Trump said that the US had helped the other country "a lot over the years in terms of security and safety" and that he had "a lot of respect for the leadership" of the country.
He went on to say it would be a "very nice gesture" if Qatar provided the US with a Boeing jet while his government continued to wait for two new ones to be provided directly by Boeing itself.
The potential value of the plane and its handling has raised legal and ethical questions among critics on the political left and right.
The US Constitution has a provision known as the Emoluments Clause, which restricts what gifts US presidents can accept from foreign governments. It was designed to prevent leaders from becoming beholden to foreign governments.
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