Editors at National Review Online explore one of the Trump administration’s worst ideas.
Not many Americans thought it was a good idea for President Trump to accept a Boeing 747 from the Qatari royal family to become a short-lived Air Force One. When Yahoo News/YouGov surveyed U.S. adults in late May, only 32 percent approved of the decision to accept and use the jet, and 51 percent disapproved; just 25 percent said they did not think the jet was a bribe, while 54 percent said they thought the government of Qatar was trying to bribe the president.
Trump’s first-term vice president, Mike Pence, called it a “bad idea.” Not even Laura Loomer, about as loyal a Trump supporter as you can find, thought it was a good idea; she called the decision to accept it a “stain” on the administration. Senate Republicans expressed misgivings, but hung together to block an effort by Senate Democrats to prevent funding for converting the jet to Air Force One specifications.
But President Trump wanted it and charged ahead, despite the terrible optics and real concerns about whether a donated jet — from a less than savory regime, no less — could be quickly and safely upgraded to the considerable security needs of a traveling American president.
The president and U.S. Air Force assured the public, emphatically, that the Qatari plane would be completely safe.
“The safety and security of the commander in chief is our highest priority,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said in a statement June 19. “From the beginning, we meticulously evaluated every requirement to accelerate delivery while maintaining the high standards expected of the presidential mission. This effort proves that the U.S. Air Force can move fast without sacrificing quality, security, or reliability.” …
… So, the president accepted a $400 million jet from a foreign government, to be used for just a few years before being retired to Trump’s presidential library, and rushed it into service without the advanced antimissile capabilities. This has been a fiasco from the very beginning, and an entirely predictable one.
