Step on board Donald Trump’s new ‘flying palace’ Air Force One

US President Donald Trump recently accepted a gift from the Qatar* royal family – a new Air Force One* jet. He has been working to renovate it after giving up hope that plane manufacturer Boeing could provide a revamped Air Force One while he’s still in office.

The Boeing 747-8i has been dubbed a “flying palace” – and with good reason. The gold-plated, cushion-festooned jet is worth $A625 million, or $US400 million.

According to reports, ownership of the 747 is expected to be transferred to the Trump Presidential Library* Foundation in 2029, allowing the plane to serve as Trump’s private plane after the end of his second term in office.

President Trump has caused some controversy for accepting the luxe jet.

Critics have argued that by accepting the expensive gift, the president would be acting in an unconstitutional way. Others too have expressed concern that the gift could be construed as a bribe*.

After President Trump announced he was accepting the jet from Qatar, California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff read out a section of the US constitution stating elected officials weren’t allowed to accept “any present … of any kind whatever” from another country’s government without the approval of Congress.

According to a report from the BBC, current US rules state that government officials are only allowed to accept gifts worth less than US$480.

But the White House has denied any wrongdoing.

“The legal details of that are still being worked out,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the BBC earlier this year. “Of course, any donation to the government is always done in full compliance with the law.”

President Trump has defended his decision, saying, “why wouldn’t I accept the gift?” and adding that the jet would go to the defence department.

He also slammed a reporter from America’s ABC News for questioning his decision to accept the gift saying: “They’re giving us a free jet. I can say ‘no, no I want to pay a billion dollars’ or I can say ‘thank you very much’.”

ABC News went on to report that “both the White House and Department of Justice concluded that because the gift is not conditioned on any official act, it does not constitute bribery.”

The estimated value of A$625 million does not include the suite of expensive upgrades it will require, particularly regarding security, to function as the President’s plane.

While the White House has not given an estimate as to how much the renovations and security upgrades will cost, defence experts have put the figure in the hundreds of millions of dollars – possibly even up to US$1 billion, the BBC reported.

STEP ON BOARD TRUMP’S NEW JET
With a price tag of A$625 million, you could imagine just how lavish President Trump’s new plane really is.

These images were taken when the jet was owned by the Qatari government and used as a private jet for the Qatari royal family.

More like a mansion in the sky, the double decker Qatari jet has bedroom suites with marble-clad ensuite bathrooms, four lounges, a private office, and a grand staircase to the upper deck.

Plush carpeting and leather couches add further luxury while gold-coloured walls and gold furnishings give the plane a truly palatial* feel.

The bathrooms even have mother-of-pearl inlays*.

Once President Trump’s renovations have been completed, the luxurious jet will replace the current presidential jumbo jet, which has been in use since the 1990s.

It’s reported the jet will be painted in Trump’s preferred red, white and blue colour scheme, rather than the iconic ‘soft blue and white’ livery* which has been the executive jet’s signature look since the time of President Kennedy. In January, Trump said “we want power blue, not baby blue.”

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GLOSSARY

• Qatar: an Arab country on the west coast of the Persian Gulf known as one of the world’s largest exporters of natural gas
• Air Force One: the name given to the US President’s private jet
• Presidential Library: archives and museums that bring together documents and artefacts of a president
• bribe: persuading someone to act in a certain way by giving them a large sum of money or a gift
• palatial: like a palace
• inlays: when a material like mother-of-pearl has been embedded into the surface of a piece of furniture
• livery: special uniform worn by an official

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QUICK QUIZ
1. How much is the gifted jet worth?
2. What reason does US President Trump give for accepting the gift?
3. Why have some people expressed concern over President Trump accepting the gift?
4. What is the name given to planes that are used as presidential jets?
5. What colours will the jet reportedly be painted?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Royal gift
Do you think the president of the most influential country in the world should be able to accept such an extravagant gift that he gets to keep after his presidency, or do you think the Qatar royal family might feel they are “owed” something in the future?

Outline the arguments for and against being allowed to accept this luxurious jet as a gift.

SHOULD BE ALLOWED

SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Design your own luxurious, two-storey aeroplane for private use. What amenities and features would your jet include?

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.