Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that President Donald Trump should not accept a luxury jet from Qatar to use as the next Air Force One, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that the move would raise security and constitutional concerns.
The Trump administration plans to accept the Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family to be used for Trump's travel as president, with the plane then set to be transferred to his presidential library after he leaves office. The plan to accept the jet has drawn criticism, including from some of Trump’s GOP allies.
"First we’ve got to remember who Qatar is. We’ve got a military base there. I have members of our immediate family that have deployed to the region," said Pence, who served as Trump's vice president during his first term.
"But Qatar has a long history of playing both sides," Pence said in the exclusive interview at his home in Indiana. "They support Hamas. They supported Al Qaeda. Qatar has actually financed pro-Hamas protests on American campuses across the United States."
Pence added that accepting the plane as the next Air Force One "is inconsistent with our security, with our intelligence needs. And my hope is the president reconsiders it."
"Others have observed, there are profound issues — the potential for intelligence gathering, the need to ensure the president of the United States is safe and secure as he travels around the world," Pence said later. Some aviation experts have said it could take years to convert the jet into a new Air Force One, and could cost over $1 billion.
Pence added that there are "very real constitutional issues," noting the part of the Constitution that bars public officials from accepting gifts from a foreign government.
"I think it’s just a bad idea, and my hope is the president will think better of it," Pence said.
Pence suggested that if the Qatari government wished to make a gift to the U.S., it could direct $400 million, the current value of the plane, to “infrastructure on their military base.”
Pence has had a complicated relationship with the president since leaving office, though he has continued to tout the accomplishments of the Trump-Pence administration. Pence drew Trump's ire when he certified Trump's 2020 election loss on Jan. 6, 2021, while Trump falsely claimed that election was stolen.
A former Indiana governor and congressman, Pence challenged Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, but he ended his campaign in 2023 after he failed to gain traction.
