If you want to see how the anti-Trump media work, the Qatar airplane story is a perfect microcosm of that dynamic. ABC reported something that was sort of true, but did so with a spin that was hostile to Trump and led to an explosion of anti-Trump animus on social media. Ultimately, the story was a set-up to anger conservatives, frighten Jews, and give leftists the opportunity to gloat about Trump’s corruption.
Here's the ABC News report from yesterday morning:
In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar -- a gift that is to be available for use by President Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News.
ABC’s John Karl made sure to spin the story in the most anti-Trump way possible:
ABC EXCLUSIVE: President Trump is poised to accept a luxury jet as a gift from Qatar.
— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) May 11, 2025
It’s to be used as Air Force One and then transferred to the Trump library by January 2029.
Perhaps the biggest foreign gift ever. DOJ insists it’s legal, not bribery, not violation of…
What the ABC spin boils down to is that Trump is going to fly in a gorgeous air palace, courtesy of Qatar, before the plane lands in his presidential library as a gilt monument to his wonderfulness.
Another important thing to note about the report is that it’s not an “ABC exclusive.” In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported on the story, in a mundane and accurate fashion, more than ten days ago:
President Trump is done waiting for Boeing.
Frustrated by delays on Boeing’s work to deliver a new Air Force One, Trump has commissioned a smaller defense contractor to ready an interim presidential plane by year’s end, said people with knowledge of the situation.
Boeing will continue plugging away on a pair of Air Force One replacement jets, which have fallen so far behind that Trump might not get to fly on them while in office.
The U.S. government has commissioned L3Harris to overhaul a Boeing 747 formerly used by the Qatari government. The Melbourne, Fla.-based company is tasked with retrofitting the plane with certain specialized systems to transform the luxury aircraft into a presidential jet, some of the people said.
[snip]
In his first term, Trump commissioned two new presidential planes to replace a pair of aging jets, which are among the world’s most complex aircraft with communications and defensive systems that serve as a command and control platform for the commander in chief. Boeing won the $3.9 billion contract and at one point was expected to have the planes ready by last year. But it is now years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget, after a series of supplier, engineering and manufacturing setbacks.
In other words, Trump ordered a new Air Force One plane from Boeing, but Boeing can’t come anywhere close to meeting its deadlines, so Trump got a temporary backup at no expense to the American people. ABC took old, basically uninteresting news and spun it into a sensationalist anti-Trump “exclusive.”
The effect on social media was instant and electric, with conservatives angered, Jews worried, and leftists exultant (for they now had proof that the MAGA hero had greedy feet of clay):
Trump to get $400 million 'Flying Palace' gift from Qatar’s royal family
— RT (@RT_com) May 11, 2025
Trump will receive lavish Boeing 747-8 jet — 13yo aircraft set for upgrades with top-tier security and communications systems
Looks fancy: think 47 will like it? pic.twitter.com/728u5WANVM
Trump: “We need to ban Huawei and other Chinese products. They can act as a Trojan horse.”
— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) May 12, 2025
Also, Trump: “Let’s accept a $400 million jet from the world’s largest supporter of terror. What could possibly go wrong?”
I am deeply confused by this move. pic.twitter.com/0NW1QJlI5p
Trump just accepted a 400M dollar bribe from Qatar. By way of an airplane, which Trump intends to use as Air Force One. Trump said he would donate it to the government but then after said he’s keeping it for himself. Qatar funds Hamas, the terrorist organization. #MomSky
— Liz (or Lizzie) Kim 김혜성 ???? (@zen4ever2us.bsky.social) May 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
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Trump announced the reality behind the transaction in his inimitable style:
So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA
I know that a lot of pro-Israel people are very worried about Trump’s negotiations in the Middle East, fearing that he will jettison Israel in favor of getting the Abraham Accords back on track. They suspect that he’ll say that, if Saudi Arabia doesn’t want to normalize relations with Israel, so be it. But of course, the whole point of the Abraham Accords (named after the man both Jews and Muslims claim as their religious progenitor) is to bring these Sunni Arab nations closer to Israel in a bloc aligned against Iran.
For Jews and other friends of Israel, hearing that Trump was getting bribes from Qatar, host to Hamas’s billionaires, and generally a sleazy, anti-Israel operator in Middle East politics, the news of an alleged bribe was terrifying.
The whole short-lived debacle is a reminder that the anti-Trump media do not want Trump to succeed in bringing a pro-Israel peace to the Middle East. Democrats will always back the ones who want to kill Jews. In this, they are aided by anti-Israel people in the Republican party (some, like Tucker, who are isolationists, and others, like Candace Owens, who traffic in medieval anti-Jewish blood libels).
And it’s a reminder to all of us to take with a grain of salt any sensationalist negative reporting about Donald Trump.
