Donald Trump has announced he will be accepting a $400 million gift from a Middle Eastern government in the form of a luxury aeroplane.
The plane is a luxury Boeing BA.N 747-8 jet owned by the Qatari royal family, gifted to the US Department of Defense as a donation.
The plane will be outfitted to serve as Air Force One — the designated call sign for a US plane responsible for transporting the president of the United States.
Mr Trump has dismissed concerns around a potential conflict of interest, and said accepting the gift was a practical decision.
Here's what we know so far.
[tweet]The plane
A Boeing BA.N 747-8, known by the company as "the queen of the skies", is capable of flying up to 100 passengers about 17,000 kilometres without needing to refuel.
According to corporate jet purchase guides, the cabin has a total area of 481.2 square metres, and it has a boardroom, a lounge, VIP bedrooms and a staff area.
An investor guide said the average operating cost of a Boeing 747-8 is about $35,000.
The plane owned by the Qatari royal family is worth about $US400 million.
How will the gift work?
The gift will technically be given to the US Department of Defense.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement:
"Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President Trump's administration is committed to full transparency," she said.
Qatari spokesperson Ali Al-Ansari said the possible transfer of the plane was still under consideration between Qatar's Minister of Defense and the US Department of Defense and no decision had been made.
Nevertheless, Mr Trump has signalled he intends to accept the donation.
"I think it's a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer," Mr Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a trip to the Middle East.
"I mean, I could be a stupid person saying, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'"
Media outlets in the US said Trump's administration had already determined it was legal for the defense department to accept the plane, on the condition that it would later be donated to Donald Trump's presidential library when he leaves office.
What will the plane do once it's in US hands?
The plane will be outfitted to serve as Air Force One.
Air Force One is technically any plane that flies under a US flag while carrying the president.
It needs to have significant security measures and infrastructure to protect it and any confidential work that happens on board.
Any Air Force One plane needs to have significant electronic and communications equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, and it should be able to refuel during flight.
Media outlets have reported that the plane would likely be retrofitted by military contractor L3Harris.
Experts said the Qatari plane would need significant modifications to meet military standards, which could cost US taxpayers millions of dollars.
"This isn't really a gift," Congressman Joe Courtney told Politico.
Mr Courtney is the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces.
"You'd basically have to tear the plane down to the studs and rebuild it to meet all the survivability, security and communications requirements of Air Force One.
"It's a massive undertaking — and an unfunded one at that."
A Defense Department official told media outlets the modifications could take "years, not months".
Why should we be concerned?
Democrat senators Brian Schatz, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker and Chris Coons said in a statement that Mr Trump's acceptance of such a gift would create a clear conflict of interest, raise serious national security questions, and invite foreign influence.
[cory]University of New South Wales propaganda expert Mark Rolfe said it was clear why Mr Trump would accept the donation despite concerns.
"It's Trump, the airline magnet," Dr Rolfe said.
"Trump is often taken in by appearances, and he toured this plane in February.
"It's fitted out like a palace, according to the news report, and this goes all the way back to 1989 when he bought a bunch of second-hand planes and fitted them out with carpet and marble in the bathroom.
"He gets taken in by the opulence. But the thing is, Air Force One has to be a flying command centre for the president to conduct nuclear war and to communicate with all sections of the US military.
"It has to be able to survive nuclear war, it has to have panels that can cope with radiation, with lasers.
"It has to have about 320 kilometres of wiring throughout the plane, and it has to have all these structural features cut apart, modified and replaced.
"This Qatari plane just can't immediately function as Air Force One.
"I think it speaks to how Mr Trump diverts sensible public policy down the rabbit hole of his vanity, and what should be the proper processes of military acquisition gets diverted by him into his vanity projects."
Why did Mr Trump accept?
Dr Rolfe said the administration's acceptance of the gift must be examined through the lens of Mr Trump's recent business dealings in Qatar.
The Trump family struck a deal earlier this month to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar, featuring Trump-branded beachside villas and an 18-hole course.
Mr Trump is also currently on a tour of the region.
"I think the Qatari government thinks $400 million is cheap," Dr Rolfe said.
"If I were a devoted Trump supporter, I'd say this is part of Trump being a great deal maker."
However, the Trump administration has maintained that accepting the gift is a practical decision because of delays with Boeing providing new planes for the Air Force One fleet.
Mr Trump previously flagged his frustration with the delays.
"I'm not happy with the fact that it's taken so long … there's no excuse for it," he told reporters.
He said he was looking at other alternatives, which included buying refurbished jets.
