Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter on Monday after being questioned about a controversial $400 million jet offered by Qatar, insisting the aircraft was not a personal gift and that critics of the deal were “stupid.”The confrontation occurred during a press briefing at the White House, when a reporter from ABC asked, “What do you say to people who view that luxury jet as a personal gift to you?” Trump immediately bristled at the question.
“You’re ABC Fake News right? You should be embarrassed asking that question,” he snapped. “They’re giving us a free jet. I could say no… I want to pay you $1B… Or I could say thank you.”
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He continued with a meandering metaphor, likening the deal to a friendly gesture on a golf course: “There was an old golfer named Sam Sneed. Did you ever hear of him? He won 82 tournaments. And he had a motto. When they give you a putt, you say, thank you very much. You pick up your ball and you walk to the next hole… Remember that, Sam Snead.”Pressed again about whether he had ever been offered such a valuable gift and not accepted it, Trump shot back, “It’s not a gift to me. It’s a gift to the Department of Defense. And you should know better because you’ve been embarrassed enough and so has your network. ABC is a disaster.”The jet in question, a Boeing 747-8 parked at Palm Beach International Airport near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, is being considered as a temporary replacement for the aging Air Force One fleet while Boeing faces delays delivering new models.Critics, particularly Democratic senators, have argued the deal could violate the US Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which bars presidents from accepting gifts from foreign governments without congressional approval. Senator Chris Murphy warned that such a move “raises serious national security questions, invites foreign influence, and undermines public trust.”Murphy added he would seek to block any arms sales to Qatar if the deal proceeds, calling it “nuclear-grade graft.”Qatar has since tried to tone down the backlash, with a spokesperson stating that the aircraft was not a gift to Trump but that “the possible transfer… is currently under consideration” between Qatar’s and the US’s defence ministries.
