So Easily Bought? How Dangerous and Grubby Is That?!!

"I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I could be a stupid person and say, 'no, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane'."

"If we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defence Department to use during a couple of years while they're building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture." 

"They're giving us a free jet. I could say 'No, no, no, don't give us, I want to pay you a billion or 400 million'… or I could say 'thank you very much'."

"The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!"

"Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country."

U.S. President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attend a signing ceremony in Doha, Qatar, May 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

"The Middle East Forum’s (MEF) latest report, “America for Sale: Qatar’s $40 Billion Spending Spree Buys Influence and Control of Elite Institutions,” exposes Qatari government investments across U.S. financial sectors, from businesses and lobby firms, to think tanks, universities, and K-12 education. The New York Sun calls MEF’s study “a highly detailed look at Qatar’s enormous influence campaign, in which the tiny kingdom has deployed its enormous natural gas and oil wealth to win America’s approbation.”"

"Doha’s investments include billions in critical infrastructure, including crude oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) exports, even though Qatar is America’s chief competitor in global LNG sales. As the U.S. seeks energy independence from the Middle East, American companies are outsourcing control of the U.S. power grid and green energy products to Qatar."

"Strategic moves include investments in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies, which represent a threat to U.S. national security interests and Americans’ privacy data. In real estate, the Gulf emirate’s ventures include more than $6 billion in Manhattan trophy properties, even as New York legislators seek to impose foreign ownership restrictions."

The Qatari government has invested across U.S. financial sectors, from businesses and lobby firms, to think tanks, universities, and K-12 education. Shutterstock

"It is a government-to-government transaction. It has nothing to do with personal relationships -- neither on the US side, nor the Qatari side. It's between the two defence ministries." 

"Why would we buy influence in the United States? [Qatar has] always been a reliable and trusted partner. This is not a one-way relationship."

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani

The United States -- for that matter the entire Western world of democratic nations -- has been infiltrated deeply by political/religious forces that constitute a veritable invasion of foot soldiers led by the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar. The Brotherhood tends to the strictly political side, presenting itself as a rational, non-threatening, America-friendly influential well-wishing ally, courtesy of Islam, gaining the confidence of American politicians, business leaders and drowsily-woke academics. Qatar with its vast oil-derived wealth looks after the diplomatic/philanthropic side, playing nice and buying confidence.

 

Universities in the United States are always well-endowed by former graduates, alumni who have attended Ivy League schools of higher learning to become corporate leaders, scientists, leading-edge technicians, politicians of note, and others. Among the 'others', the generosity of Qatar stands out for the sheer size of its investments, endowing these institutions with grants and study chairs, and earning their trust and appreciation in the process. If an Islamic nation could be so genuinely supportive of the West, how can it be conceivable that the influx of foreign students bringing with them religious, cultural antipathies toward Israel (and the West) can be maliciously suspicious?

 

And how could it be conceived of that a president of the United States -- arguably the most powerful man in the world, the leader of the nation most influential in world affairs -- could be bought? Which is to say, his trust and influence and goodwill in exchange for sumptuous gifts? Like a luxury Boeing aircraft. To be refurbished as the president's coach-in-four flightcraft. Could such a gift be construed as a personal emolument, forbidden under presidential rules through constitutional safeguards against cupidity and profit for a high office holder?

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., for a campaign event in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

The U.S. Constitution is fairly clear on emoluments permissible through the office of the president of the United States in the interests of preserving presidential independence from outside influence. This is a president, of course, accustomed to flouting rules of any kind, in his presumed entitlement to act always as he sees fit. Anyone holding public office is barred by Article 1, from accepting any gift emolument, office or title from any "King, Prince, or foreign State", absent Congressional consent.

 

President Trump's hunger for acknowledgement in his peerless position, his vanity and sense of accomplished entitlement responds to gestures of any kind of those who stand in awe of the position he holds. But above all, those who behave as though they regard him as hugely intelligent, masterfully competent in any field of endeavour, but above all, anxious to please the man's outsize ego to pave their way into his inner circle of confidants at home and abroad.

 

Gifts denoting allegiance to an overlord were common enough in the Medieval era, their continuation to the present sounds an alarm of intended influence where none should be expected. And while Mr. Trump in an effort to assure his critics, states that the plane, to be used as an Air Force 1 presidential aircraft during his tenure, would revert to a decommissioned display piece for a future presidential library. Of course, Mr. Trump and his family business enterprise are known to have profited from his position.

 

A Saudi Arabian company will be engaged to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar. The Trump Organization family business has been forging full steam ahead in foreign deal-making during the Trump administration. His business group is no stranger to lawsuits launched against it accusing the president of illegally profiting off the presidency in his real estate enterprises. In his first term in office, lawsuits alleging his violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause in accepting payments from foreign and domestic officials staying at the Trump International Hotel, patronizing his businesses, failed to staunch his enterprise second time around.

 

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