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Majority of Americans have concerns about Trump’s Qatar jet plan: Poll

May 19, 2025

Sixty-two percent of voters polled said the president’s acceptance of a $400 million dollar luxury Boeing 747 from the Qatari government “raises ethical concerns about corruption,” while 35 percent said the gift is “a win for the U.S.”

The poll also showed the issue splitting somewhat along party lines, with 85 percent of Democrats saying it “raises ethical concerns about corruption,” while only 15 percent of Democrats called the gift “a win for the U.S.” Republicans were more split, with 40 percent saying it raises ethical concerns, while 60 percent said it was a win for the U.S. Among independents, 62 percent said it raises ethical concerns about corruption, and 38 percent said it was a win for the U.S.

“Voters are worried about gifts from the Qataris, suggesting Trump might think twice about the plane or what he would do with it after the presidency,” said Mark Penn, chairman of the Harris poll.

The findings come after Trump confirmed earlier this month he was preparing to accept the Boeing 747-8 jumbo luxury jet from Qatar. The jet would officially be gifted to the Department of Defense before being handed over to the Trump presidential library at the end of his term.

Democrats and even a number of Republican lawmakers have raised concerns over the president’s acceptance of the gift. Many Republicans have argued that the jet will not actually be free, given it will need to go through the lengthy and expensive process of being transformed into Air Force One. Others have raised safety concerns about the jet.

Trump has defended his acceptance of the jet and has labeled bipartisan criticism of the move as “a radical-left story.”

“I just want to say, it was a radical-left story,” Trump told Fox News’s Bret Baier in Abu Dhabi during a stop on his diplomatic trip to the Middle East this week. “The people here, to show you how crazy it is, they would like me to pay a billion dollars.”

“I made a good deal,” he added.

Trump also said that he is not a personal beneficiary of the jet, arguing that the jet is a gift to the U.S. government and that it will be old by the time it ends up in his presidential library.

The Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey was conducted from May 14 to May 15 among 1,903 registered voters. Respondents for this poll were recruited through opt-in, web-panel recruitment sampling. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points on a 95 percent confidence level.

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