The Pentagon has confirmed it has accepted a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar, setting it on a path to become the next Air Force One, despite a wave of constitutional concerns and bipartisan criticism in Congress.

The aircraft, described as a “palace in the sky,” was offered during President Donald Trump’s recent Middle East visit and has been defended by Trump as a cost-saving measure for taxpayers.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Department of Defense “will work to ensure proper security measures” are in place to prepare the aircraft for presidential use. “The plane was accepted by all federal rules and regulations,” Parnell added.

Trump, who announced the gift during his trip, posted on his social media platform that the jet was a “free” alternative to the delayed Boeing replacement. “Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE,” he wrote.

However, the decision has sparked backlash, particularly from Democrats and some Republicans, who argue the move may violate the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which bars US officials from accepting gifts from foreign governments, news agency Associated Press reported.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., blasted the move during a Senate hearing Tuesday, calling it a “dangerous course of action.” She warned that far from saving money, “this unconstitutional action will not only cost our nation its dignity, but it will force taxpayers to waste over $1 billion to overhaul this particular aircraft when we currently have not one, but two fully operational and competent Air Force One aircraft.”

During the same hearing, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink acknowledged that “significant” retrofitting would be needed to bring the aircraft up to presidential security standards.

Addressing questions in the Oval Office while meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump defended the gift as patriotic. “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet,” he said, appearing frustrated. “It was given not to me, but to the United States Air Force so that they could help us out.”

Ramaphosa, caught in the diplomatic awkwardness, joked, “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you,” to which Trump replied, “If your country were offering the United States Air Force a plane, I would take it.”

(With inputs from Associated Press)

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