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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday will embark on a four-day tour of the Middle East, stopping in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a trip underscoring the deepening economic ties between the United States and the Gulf kingdoms.

Traveling to a region facing ongoing diplomatic, political and security challenges — including Iran’s nuclear program, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and war between Israel and Hamas, and the fate of Syria following a brutal 14-year civil war — Trump is expected to focus on business development and trade agreements on his trip, following commitments from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States and on joint investments over the next several years.

On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s trip will “focus on strengthening ties” between the U.S. and the Gulf nations.

“President Trump will return to reemphasize his continued vision for a proud, prosperous and successful Middle East where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in cooperative relationship and where extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges,” she said.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to invest $600 billion in the United States over four years after Trump’s November victory, and the United Arab Emirates have also committed to a $1.4 trillion U.S. investment package over the next decade. Business and technology leaders will be convening in Riyadh around Trump’s trip for a Saudi-U.S. investment forum.

ABC News has also reported that the Trump administration is preparing to accept a luxury Boeing jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family for use as a presidential aircraft before being transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation after his term ends.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to ABC News’ reporting, saying in a statement that “any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws.”

The president’s family has also traveled to the region and has expanded its business interests in the Middle East: The Trump Organization has partnered with developers on new projects in Saudi Arabia, Doha and the United Arab Emirates, and is involved in a cryptocurrency venture connected to a fund with ties to the Emirati government.

Leavitt on Friday dismissed questions about the president’s family’s business dealings in the region ahead of his trip and said Trump “has actually lost money for being president of the United States.”

“The president acts with only the interests of the American public in mind, putting our country first and doing what’s best for our country — full stop,” she said.

“It’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit. He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service,” she later added.

Trump also began his first term in office with a visit to Saudi Arabia, in a break with his predecessors who had visited traditional U.S. allies and major trade partners on their first official foreign trips.

That trip to Saudi Arabia — which also included stops in Israel and later in Europe — focused on encouraging local partners to redouble efforts to fight “extremism” and terrorist groups, and work to marginalize Iran.

Since then, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have improved relations with Iran, and are now supportive of the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts to address Iran’s nuclear program.

“Both the Saudis and the Emiratis have decided that their priority is economic investment and getting away from energy, and that war with Iran is like a big danger to all of that. So they’ve completely shifted on Iran,” Ilan Goldenberg, a Middle East specialist who worked in the Obama and Biden administrations, told ABC News.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza also looms over Trump’s trip, given Israel’s plans to expand military operations in Gaza.

In Riyadh, Trump is expected to join a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting before he travels to Qatar.

While the president has aimed to ink a regional diplomatic agreement expanding on the Abraham Accords of his first term, the war in Gaza has effectively frozen efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, experts told ABC News.

“From the Saudi perspective, it makes it harder” to improve diplomatic relations with Israel, Zineb Riboua, a fellow with Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East. “Because of what has happened and what is currently happening [in Gaza], they are struggling.”

Trump could hear from Arab leaders about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, given the U.S.’s ongoing military support for Israel, and Israeli plans to expand its campaign in Gaza to root out Hamas.

In February, Trump proposed that the U.S. “take over” Gaza and help rebuild it, a plan that was rejected by Arab leaders, who put forward their own counterproposal that the U.S. and Israel have opposed.

There have also been disputes between the U.S., Israel and Arab nations over how to administer humanitarian aid blockaded by Israel to Palestinians in Gaza.

Though the trip is Trump’s first planned foreign trip, he traveled to Rome and the Vatican in April to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

On the sidelines of that trip, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the two countries worked to cement a minerals deal.

Saudi Arabia has hosted bilateral peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, underscoring the kingdom’s growing political influence, in addition to its economic and commercial importance in the region.

Trump “sees the Gulf as they see themselves, as a real fulcrum of global power,” Jon Alterman, the Middle East Program Chair at Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News.

“A lot of people in the world think the Gulf is an outlier. A bunch of small, wealthy states that rely on the United States for security, protection. The Gulf sees itself differently, and the president is suggesting he sees the Gulf differently,” Alterman said.

Trump could receive a lavish welcome from the Gulf monarchs in the region, similar to the royal treatment he received when he visited Saudi Arabia in 2017.

The Saudis rolled out the red carpet for his arrival, greeting him at the airport with a military jet flyover and later awarding him a gold medal — the nation’s top civilian honor — and treating him to a traditional sword dance.

Trump’s trip also comes on the heels of Hamas announcing that they will be releasing Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US citizen, which will be part of steps taken to achieve a ceasefire. Hamas said that they have been in contact with American officials over the last few days over the efforts to try and achieve a ceasefire deal.

President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Sunday evening, confirming that Alexander will be released from Hamas. Trump did not specify when Alexander was expected to be released, but said, “This is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Monday embarked on a four-day tour of the Middle East, stopping in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a trip underscoring the deepening economic ties between the United States and the Gulf kingdoms.

Traveling to a region facing ongoing diplomatic, political and security challenges — including Iran’s nuclear program, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and war between Israel and Hamas, and the fate of Syria following a brutal 14-year civil war — Trump is expected to focus on business development and trade agreements on his trip, following commitments from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States and on joint investments over the next several years.

On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s trip will “focus on strengthening ties” between the U.S. and the Gulf nations.

“President Trump will return to reemphasize his continued vision for a proud, prosperous and successful Middle East where the United States and Middle Eastern nations are in cooperative relationship and where extremism is defeated in place of commerce and cultural exchanges,” she said.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged to invest $600 billion in the United States over four years after Trump’s November victory, and the United Arab Emirates have also committed to a $1.4 trillion U.S. investment package over the next decade. Business and technology leaders will be convening in Riyadh around Trump’s trip for a Saudi-U.S. investment forum.

ABC News has also reported that the Trump administration is preparing to accept a luxury Boeing jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family for use as a presidential aircraft before being transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation after his term ends.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to ABC News’ reporting, saying in a statement that “any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws.”

The president’s family has also traveled to the region and has expanded its business interests in the Middle East: The Trump Organization has partnered with developers on new projects in Saudi Arabia, Doha and the United Arab Emirates, and is involved in a cryptocurrency venture connected to a fund with ties to the Emirati government.

Leavitt on Friday dismissed questions about the president’s family’s business dealings in the region ahead of his trip and said Trump “has actually lost money for being president of the United States.”

“The president acts with only the interests of the American public in mind, putting our country first and doing what’s best for our country — full stop,” she said.

“It’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit. He left a life of luxury and a life of running a very successful real estate empire for public service,” she later added.

Trump also began his first term in office with a visit to Saudi Arabia, in a break with his predecessors who had visited traditional U.S. allies and major trade partners on their first official foreign trips.

That trip to Saudi Arabia — which also included stops in Israel and later in Europe — focused on encouraging local partners to redouble efforts to fight “extremism” and terrorist groups, and work to marginalize Iran.

Since then, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have improved relations with Iran, and are now supportive of the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts to address Iran’s nuclear program.

“Both the Saudis and the Emiratis have decided that their priority is economic investment and getting away from energy, and that war with Iran is like a big danger to all of that. So they’ve completely shifted on Iran,” Ilan Goldenberg, a Middle East specialist who worked in the Obama and Biden administrations, told ABC News.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza also looms over Trump’s trip, given Israel’s plans to expand military operations in Gaza.

In Riyadh, Trump is expected to join a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting before he travels to Qatar.

While the president has aimed to ink a regional diplomatic agreement expanding on the Abraham Accords of his first term, the war in Gaza has effectively frozen efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, experts told ABC News.

“From the Saudi perspective, it makes it harder” to improve diplomatic relations with Israel, Zineb Riboua, a fellow with Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East. “Because of what has happened and what is currently happening [in Gaza], they are struggling.”

Trump could hear from Arab leaders about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, given the U.S.’s ongoing military support for Israel, and Israeli plans to expand its campaign in Gaza to root out Hamas.

In February, Trump proposed that the U.S. “take over” Gaza and help rebuild it, a plan that was rejected by Arab leaders, who put forward their own counterproposal that the U.S. and Israel have opposed.

There have also been disputes between the U.S., Israel and Arab nations over how to administer humanitarian aid blockaded by Israel to Palestinians in Gaza.

Though the trip is Trump’s first planned foreign trip, he traveled to Rome and the Vatican in April to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

On the sidelines of that trip, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the two countries worked to cement a minerals deal.

Saudi Arabia has hosted bilateral peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, underscoring the kingdom’s growing political influence, in addition to its economic and commercial importance in the region.

Trump “sees the Gulf as they see themselves, as a real fulcrum of global power,” Jon Alterman, the Middle East Program Chair at Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News.

“A lot of people in the world think the Gulf is an outlier. A bunch of small, wealthy states that rely on the United States for security, protection. The Gulf sees itself differently, and the president is suggesting he sees the Gulf differently,” Alterman said.

Trump could receive a lavish welcome from the Gulf monarchs in the region, similar to the royal treatment he received when he visited Saudi Arabia in 2017.

The Saudis rolled out the red carpet for his arrival, greeting him at the airport with a military jet flyover and later awarding him a gold medal — the nation’s top civilian honor — and treating him to a traditional sword dance.

Trump’s trip also comes on the heels of Hamas announcing that they will be releasing Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a dual US citizen, which will be part of steps taken to achieve a ceasefire. Hamas said that they have been in contact with American officials over the last few days over the efforts to try and achieve a ceasefire deal.

President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Sunday evening, confirming that Alexander will be released from Hamas. Trump did not specify when Alexander was expected to be released, but said, “This is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict.

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When President Donald Trump arrives in the Persian Gulf Tuesday for his first overseas visit since regaining the White House, he’ll touch down in a region that’s rich in opportunity. On the diplomatic front, he’s expected to focus on trade agreements and economic ties.

But for Trump and his family, there are also opportunities in the form of business ventures and real estate deals.

Some ethics experts say the way his family business has approached these opportunities brings up familiar concerns of potential conflicts of interest as Trump meets with the region’s leaders, who could hold sway over the success of Trump’s ventures there.

During Trump’s first term, his family said they wouldn’t pursue any new overseas business ventures. But now, in Trump’s second term, the Trump Organization has several active projects in the Gulf region — including some that have launched in the months since Trump returned to office — suggesting that his self-imposed moratorium has dissipated.

Trump’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, for example, comes just over a week after the Trump Organization announced the development of an 80-floor residential building and club called the Trump International Hotel & Tower, Dubai.

At a launch party for the project last week, an executive of Dar Global, the development firm partnering with the Trump Organization, said in a highly produced social media clip that the project “is perfectly positioned to capture Dubai’s growth, offering investors the rare chance to be part of a global success — powered by the Trump name and Dar Global’s expertise.”

And last week, the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, announced that an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm would be making a major $2 billion investment in the firm.

USD1, World Liberty Financial’s so-called “stablecoin” — a digital asset designed to maintain a stable value — is expected to be used to complete Emirati investment firm MGX’s $2 billion investment transaction in crypto exchange Binance, ABC News reported.

In Qatar, Trump will arrive just two weeks after his son Eric Trump inked a deal to develop a $5.5 billion golf club just north of Doha, called the Trump International Golf Club, Simaisima, which will include “an 18-hole golf course, exclusive clubhouse, and Trump-branded villas,” according to plans.

And in Saudi Arabia, three Trump Organization projects are currently underway, including two residential projects and a golf course. The development firm they’ve partnered with for many of these regional projects, Dar Global, reportedly has close ties to the Saudi government.

Trump also recently hosted a high-profile golf tournament for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour at his Trump National Doral resort near Miami.

Before Trump was sworn in for his second term, Eric Trump announced that the Trump Organization had hired an outside ethics adviser to help the firm enact a “series of comprehensive ethical measures” that would “proactively address potential conflicts.”

“Although neither federal law nor the United States Constitution prohibits Presidents from continuing to own, operate, and manage their businesses and investments while in office, The Trump Organization has taken these additional steps as part of its ongoing commitment to ensuring transparency, upholding the highest legal standards and avoiding even the appearance of ethical concerns,” said the announcement.

Many ethics experts have roundly criticized the arrangement as insufficient. Danielle Brian, executive director of the nonpartisan government watchdog Project on Government Oversight, told ABC News that the Trump Organization’s business endeavors, including those overseas, are entirely legal — but that Trump is “taking the weakness in our current ethics laws … to just a whole new level in this administration.”

“We’ve never seen the kind of money at stake and the kind of brazen leveraging of political power for a personal financial gain that we’ve seen in this administration,” Brian said.

Ahead of Trump’s visit to the Gulf, the ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote that “Trump knows that the decisions he makes as president could affect his bottom line, and foreign officials in those countries could provide special treatment for the president of the United States — or exact punishment for decisions they don’t like.”

Trump has yet to release his financial disclosures as president, so it’s unclear what arrangements he has made to ensure a firewall between his personal businesses and his presidency. But Trump and the White House have repeatedly and forcefully denied that his private business interests amount to a conflict of interest.

Asked Friday whether Trump would conduct any personal business meetings during his visit to the Middle East, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit.”Ahead of Trump’s visit to the Gulf, the ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote that “Trump knows that the decisions he makes as president could affect his bottom line, and foreign officials in those countries could provide special treatment for the president of the United States — or exact punishment for decisions they don’t like.”When President Donald Trump arrives in the Persian Gulf Tuesday for his first overseas visit since regaining the White House, he’ll touch down in a region that’s rich in opportunity. On the diplomatic front, he’s expected to focus on trade agreements and economic ties.

But for Trump and his family, there are also opportunities in the form of business ventures and real estate deals.

Some ethics experts say the way his family business has approached these opportunities brings up familiar concerns of potential conflicts of interest as Trump meets with the region’s leaders, who could hold sway over the success of Trump’s ventures there.

During Trump’s first term, his family said they wouldn’t pursue any new overseas business ventures. But now, in Trump’s second term, the Trump Organization has several active projects in the Gulf region — including some that have launched in the months since Trump returned to office — suggesting that his self-imposed moratorium has dissipated.

Trump’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, for example, comes just over a week after the Trump Organization announced the development of an 80-floor residential building and club called the Trump International Hotel & Tower, Dubai.

At a launch party for the project last week, an executive of Dar Global, the development firm partnering with the Trump Organization, said in a highly produced social media clip that the project “is perfectly positioned to capture Dubai’s growth, offering investors the rare chance to be part of a global success — powered by the Trump name and Dar Global’s expertise.”

And last week, the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial, announced that an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm would be making a major $2 billion investment in the firm.

USD1, World Liberty Financial’s so-called “stablecoin” — a digital asset designed to maintain a stable value — is expected to be used to complete Emirati investment firm MGX’s $2 billion investment transaction in crypto exchange Binance, ABC News reported.

In Qatar, Trump will arrive just two weeks after his son Eric Trump inked a deal to develop a $5.5 billion golf club just north of Doha, called the Trump International Golf Club, Simaisima, which will include “an 18-hole golf course, exclusive clubhouse, and Trump-branded villas,” according to plans.

And in Saudi Arabia, three Trump Organization projects are currently underway, including two residential projects and a golf course. The development firm they’ve partnered with for many of these regional projects, Dar Global, reportedly has close ties to the Saudi government.

Trump also recently hosted a high-profile golf tournament for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour at his Trump National Doral resort near Miami.

Before Trump was sworn in for his second term, Eric Trump announced that the Trump Organization had hired an outside ethics adviser to help the firm enact a “series of comprehensive ethical measures” that would “proactively address potential conflicts.”

“Although neither federal law nor the United States Constitution prohibits Presidents from continuing to own, operate, and manage their businesses and investments while in office, The Trump Organization has taken these additional steps as part of its ongoing commitment to ensuring transparency, upholding the highest legal standards and avoiding even the appearance of ethical concerns,” said the announcement.

Many ethics experts have roundly criticized the arrangement as insufficient. Danielle Brian, executive director of the nonpartisan government watchdog Project on Government Oversight, told ABC News that the Trump Organization’s business endeavors, including those overseas, are entirely legal — but that Trump is “taking the weakness in our current ethics laws … to just a whole new level in this administration.”

“We’ve never seen the kind of money at stake and the kind of brazen leveraging of political power for a personal financial gain that we’ve seen in this administration,” Brian said.

Ahead of Trump’s visit to the Gulf, the ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote that “Trump knows that the decisions he makes as president could affect his bottom line, and foreign officials in those countries could provide special treatment for the president of the United States — or exact punishment for decisions they don’t like.”

Trump has yet to release his financial disclosures as president, so it’s unclear what arrangements he has made to ensure a firewall between his personal businesses and his presidency. But Trump and the White House have repeatedly and forcefully denied that his private business interests amount to a conflict of interest.

Asked Friday whether Trump would conduct any personal business meetings during his visit to the Middle East, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit.”Ahead of Trump’s visit to the Gulf, the ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote that “Trump knows that the decisions he makes as president could affect his bottom line, and foreign officials in those countries could provide special treatment for the president of the United States — or exact punishment for decisions they don’t like.”

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LONDON — American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander — held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 — was set to be released Monday after successful negotiations between the U.S. and the Palestinian group.

Israeli security officials told ABC News there would be a temporary pause in combat, airstrikes and aerial reconnaissance in the area of Gaza where Alexander is to be released.

The pause will last until Alexander crosses into Israeli territory, officials said, which is expected to take less than 30 minutes.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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The U.S. and China issued a joint statement on Monday announcing an agreement to cut reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, with both sides “recognizing the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.”

U.S. and Chinese representatives convened for talks in Geneva, Switzerland, this weekend in a bid to establish the basis for negotiations in a broader potential trade deal. President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff measures announced in April touched off a spiralling trade war between the two economic giants, roiling markets and prompting fears of a recession in the U.S.

“We have reached an agreement on a 90-day pause and substantially move down the tariff levels,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at a Monday press conference in Geneva. “Both sides, on the reciprocal tariffs, will move their tariffs down 115%,” Bessent said.

U.S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer added that the U.S and China will maintain 10% reciprocal tariffs as part of the agreement.

“Today, with this agreement, we come to agreement that though that our reciprocal tariff rate will go down to 10% on the United States side,” Greer said. “The Chinese on their side also go down 115% to 10% and they remove the countermeasures that they have in place.”

Greer confirmed that during the pause, the effective tariff on Chinese goods entering the U.S. will be 30%. He also said that China’s effective tariffs will be at 10% for the duration of the pause. The changes will come into force by Wednesday, the joint U.S.-China statement said.

“What matters for the agreement today is that we each agreed to come down on the reciprocal tariff and related retaliation to 10%,” Greer said.

Monday’s announcement followed two days of talks that both sides described as successful.

In a media briefing on Sunday, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said trade talks with the U.S. “achieved substantial progress and reached important consensus.”

Earlier Sunday, the White House said that it reached an agreement without providing any details.

While Greer called it a “deal,” Bessent said only that “substantial progress” had been made.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Lauren Minore, Hannah Demissie and Alex Ederson contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — 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.

The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump visits Qatar on the first foreign trip of his second term, according to sources familiar with the plans.

Trump toured the plane, which is so opulently configured it is known as “a flying palace,” while it was parked at the West Palm Beach International Airport in February.

The highly unusual — unprecedented — arrangement is sure to raise questions about whether it is legal for the Trump administration, and ultimately, the Trump presidential library foundation, to accept such a valuable gift from a foreign power.

Anticipating those questions, sources told ABC News that lawyers for the White House counsel’s office and the Department of Justice drafted an analysis for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth concluding that is legal for the Department of Defense to accept the aircraft as a gift and later turn it over to the Trump library, and that it does not violate laws against bribery or the Constitution’s prohibition (the emoluments clause) of any U.S. government official accepting gifts “from any King, Prince or foreign State.”

Sources told ABC News that Attorney General Pam Bondi and Trump’s top White House lawyer David Warrington concluded it would be “legally permissible” for the donation of the aircraft to be conditioned on transferring its ownership to Trump’s presidential library before the end of his term, according to sources familiar with their determination.

The sources said Bondi provided a legal memorandum addressed to the White House counsel’s office last week after Warrington asked her for advice on the legality of the Pentagon accepting such a donation.

The White House and DOJ didn’t immediately respond to request for comment. A spokesperson for the Qatari embassy did not respond to ABC’s inquiries.

The plane will initially be transferred to the United States Air Force, which will modify the 13-year-old aircraft to meet the U.S. military specifications required for any aircraft used to transport the president of the United States, multiple sources familiar with the proposed arrangement said.

The plane will then be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation no later than Jan. 1, 2029, and any costs relating to its transfer will be paid for by the U.S. Air Force, the sources told ABC News.

According to aviation industry experts, the estimated value of the aircraft Trump will inherit is about $400 million, and that’s without the additional communications security equipment the Air Force will need to add to properly secure and outfit the plane in order to safely transport the commander in chief.

As the Wall Street Journal first reported, the aviation company L3Harris has already been commissioned to overhaul the plane to meet the requirements of a presidential jet.

Both the White House and DOJ concluded that because the gift is not conditioned on any official act, it does not constitute bribery, the sources said. Bondi’s legal analysis also says it does not run afoul of the Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts because the plane is not being given to an individual, but rather to the United States Air Force and, eventually, to the presidential library foundation, the sources said.

The primary aircraft used in the current Air Force One fleet includes two aging Boeing 747-200 jumbo jets that have been operational since 1990. The Air Force contract with Boeing to replace those aircraft has been riddled with delays and cost overruns.

The original contract was signed in 2018, but as of last year, Boeing anticipated the aircraft would not be ready until 2029, after Trump leaves office.

The president has expressed deep frustration with the delays, tasking Elon Musk to work with Boeing and the Air Force to speed up the process. Those efforts have been modestly successful. Boeing’s most recent estimated delivery date is now 2027, but Trump has made it clear he wants a new plane this year.

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