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All The King’s Emoluments

No attempts to conceal it

Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House lawyer David Warrington signed off on it, so Donald Trump accepting “a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar” is as legal as waterboarding. Trust us.

Trump administration lawyers have determined that it “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.'”

Surely wheelbarrows full of gold are next. Just perfect:

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.

"No Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State"- U.S. constitution abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru…

Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum.bsky.social) 2025-05-11T12:51:18.386Z

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