05/22/2025 – 00:52 a.m.Reading time: 3 min.
US President Trump defends the gift of a jet at a meeting with South Africa President-and insulted a reporter. Ramaphosa reacts jovially.
When visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House, things went high – the Jumbojet, who was given by Qatar, was also an issue. While Ramaphosa wanted to brighten the mood with a winking comment on the controversial gift from Qatar, US President Donald Trump reacts to critical questions with sharp attacks against the press.
“I’m sorry that I don’t have a plane for her,” joked Ramaphosa. Previously, Trump had overwhelmed him with unaffected allegations that South Africa committed “genocide” to white farmers. “I wish you had one thing,” Trump countered the aircraft remark and harvested laughter. “If her country of the United States air force offered an airplane, I would accept it,” added the Republican.
The background is that, despite sharp criticism, Trump’s government accepts an expensive plane as a gift from the lead in Qatar. During the meeting of Trump and Ramaphosa, the Pentagon announced that in accordance with all rules and regulations, a Boeing 747 machine accepted, which is to be upgraded for Trump as a government plane Air Force One. According to reports, the aircraft has a value of around $ 400 million (currently 355 million euros).
The expensive gift from a foreign partner raises legal and ethical questions. Trump was approached by an NBC journalist on the plane during the meeting and realized-also because the question followed video recordings, which Trump showed to underpin his “genocide” allegations against South Africa. NBC wants to distract from the topic, said the US President.
“You don’t have what it takes to be a reporter. You are not smart enough,” Trump assumed journalist Peter Alexander. It was a “very nice thing” that the USA would get the plane. The broadcasting level of the transmitter should “be examined”, Trump continued. “You are so terrible … as you lead this station.” The Republican said: “You are a shame.” He prohibited Alexander’s questions.
At the same time, it became known that the US government officially accepted the Qatarian gift. The US Air Force was asked to find a way to quickly upgrade the luxury aircraft for use as a new presidential machine “Air Force One”, the Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that the ministry will ensure that “appropriate security measures and functional requirements are taken into account”. According to previous information, the jet has a value of around $ 400 million and is considered a “flying palace”.
In the past few days, the announced gift had caused upset with American parliamentarians – both on the democratic side and at Trump’s own party. “This is a pretty strange offer,” said Republican Senator Ron Johnson from the US state of Wisconsin. Even one of the sharpest Trump supporters, the right-wing extremist political activist Laura Loomer, shot about the luxury gift from the golf state on social media. Loomer wrote that the assumption of the Katar aircraft is “such an eyesore” for the Trump administration. “I’m so disappointed”.
Legal and ethics experts also raised the question of whether such gifts could promote corruption and influence and are therefore prohibited. The opposition Democrats tried to block the handover of the machine. Trump’s former vice president, Republican Mike Pence, raised the question of whether Trump was aware that Qatar has no “a long history to play powers”. Among other things, the Qatarian royal family is known as one of the most important supporters of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.
