THOMPSON: Why Trump’s acceptance of palatial jetliner is problematic

---

OPINION

---

Say you were coaching hockey – a junior A team – and a parent of one of the players offered you a brand new Mercedes for free if you played his son more…what would you do? Say “Thanks” and hope no one would be the wiser? Or tell them, “No…sorry, I’m not for sale.”

That’s the stuff that defines your character…your integrity…your ethics. Fundamentally, this is the situation Donald Trump finds himself…almost daily. About a week ago, when the folks who run Qatar offered him a Boeing 747 jet – $400 Million retail – to use as Air Force One…we saw once again…Trump logic.

Never mind, for just a moment, the national security implications for the U.S. Let’s just consider the idea of getting something for nothing. The first thing that should have gone through Trump’s mind – especially given his transactional nature – is what do they want?

But, no. Trump, invariably, thinks, “what do I want.” Don’t believe for a second that this was the Emir of Qatar’s idea either. Trump likely struck a deal with the Qataris. And when it’s for The Donald – King of the Grifters – the sky is the limit.

Trump reasoned that Qatar could donate the jet…he could use it as Air Force One…then when he’s no longer president…since the U.S. paid nothing for the jumbo jet…it could transfer to his presidential library at not cost. Neat, eh? Of course, it never worked that way before.

It’s a gift…and unacceptable…according to the U.S. Constitution. But if precedents count for anything…Trump is clear to land his new jet and walk away with a lifetime free ride in the sky after he leaves office.

Remember, the same U.S. Constitution prohibition didn’t stop him from making hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign government officials who stayed in his Trump hotel in Washington, D.C. if they wanted an audience with the president. Trump gives new meaning to pay to play.

Of course, the absurdity – it doesn’t qualify as humour – of Trump’s reasoning on why accepting Qatar’s gift makes sense is tied to a story about a golf legend Sam Snead.

“They’re giving us a free jet,” Trump explained at a press conference. “I could say, ‘No, no, no, don’t give us, I want to pay you a billion, or $400 million,’ or whatever it is. Or, I could say, ‘Thank you very much.’”

Trump’s thought ran thusly: “There was an old golfer named Sam Snead,” Trump said. “Did you ever hear of him?”

“Snead had a motto,” Mr. Trump continued. “When they give you a putt, you say, ‘Thank you very much.’ You pick up your ball, and you walk to the next hole. A lot of people are stupid. They say, ‘No, no, I insist on putting it.’ Then they putt it, they miss it, and their partner gets angry at them.”

There we have it…Trump’s justification for corruption…another “they say” story l like the other lies, this story never happened either. Snead never said it…or anything like it…never a motto. Of course, ethical oversights swirl around Trump like the air across a jet’s wings.

There are six pending deals with a majority Saudi-owned real estate firm, plus Qatar is backing another Trump project. The United Arab Emirates is investing in the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture. His two oldest sons are travelling the world, closing deals that benefit Daddy Trump. The president is selling access to the Oval Office to top buyers of that digital coin. 

Now he sells Bibles. He sells coins. He sells bobble-head dolls and T-shirts. But Trump sold his soul oh, so long ago.

Do Republicans say anything critical of this shameless grifter? Hardly ever. Mostly crickets. Sen. Rand Paul did manage to say he didn’t think “it was a good idea.” Not exactly outrage.

The Emir of Qatar is the same guy who funds Hamas…you know, the group who massacred 1,195 mostly Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023. Now, a free jet for Trump?

It seems weird to bring up a practical consideration when talking about Trump’s actions…but there is the whole national security issue. A jet a foreign government builds doesn’t have the military specifications necessary for Air Force One.

While Trump might be more interested in outfitting the jet with a deep fat fryer for his personal Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise, Air Force One must be built more with safety and security in mind.

Remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. That free Qatar jet would have to be stripped down and rebuilt to make it secure enough for a president of the U.S. It would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

And then when Trump leaves…do you think there should be a couple Air Force One aircraft flying the skies…one for Trump…another for the real president? Again, it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to remove equipment and de-commission the jet. Whether this free jet happens or not…doesn’t matter as much as Trump’s thinking.

I remember the uproar…the moral outrage when President Clinton offered key campaign donors a night in the Lincoln bedroom at the White House. Republicans held hearings…lots of them…threatened impeachment. Then, the Biden family was investigated countless times for allegedly enriching themselves by taking advantage of the presidency…nothing was ever found.

You won’t see Republicans clamouring for any investigations of Trump…even though he is clearly breaking the law…violating the U.S. Constitution. Trump apparently believes it’s not illegal or unethical if he does something openly. Like another Republican crook – Richard Nixon – famously proclaimed: “When the President does it, that means it’s not illegal.”

Trump continues the long-standing Republican tradition…where concepts like character, integrity and ethics…simply don’t come to mind.