Trump’s Sky Chariot Won’t Fly
“I mean, Americans need to remember that this isn't just an Uber for the president, right?” Any of the president’s major aircraft have to be able function as a secure command center.- Rep. James Himes
Much noise has been made about the supposed offer by Qatar to give the Pentagon an Air Force One-worthy 747-8, which would then be donated to the Donald Trump memorial library at the finish of his term. The lavishly decorated plane has seating for 89 guests plus room for 14 crew members.
Lots of conscientious commentators, including some on the right, have questioned whether such a “gift” was even legal using the language of the constitution as their basis. The usual gaggle of grifters circling the President looking for scraps have overlooked any legal considerations to claim questioning the transaction amounts to another senseless attack on the President.
Trump has said it would be stupid to refuse the offer, no doubt imagining the prestige that traveling what’s been called a flying palace would bring to him as he flies around the world making deals that never never seem to work out as advertised.
Here’s Stephen Robinson at Public Notice:
Trump himself all but said the quiet “pro quo” part out loud when he told reporters that Qatar’s grand gesture is because the US “kept them safe.”
“If it wasn’t for us,” he added, “they probably wouldn’t exist right now.”
That’s Trump’s Doctrine in action — we’ll keep you safe, for the right price.
***
Do you know what would be really, really stupid? Actually accepting this White Elephant of a plane.
Given that bad guys are now valued business associates in Trump world, I suppose he’ll have no problem once the details of the 747’s ownership and history emerge.
The plane doesn’t actually belong to the kingdom of Qatar. Its true owner is Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani - former PM of Qatar, billionaire investor, and Hamas godfather, known in casual conversations as HPJ. We know this because the plane’s tail number includes his name: P4-HBJ
Via First Post:
Beyond his political career, he is known for his vast wealth and global investments. Over the years, HBJ has made massive investments across Europe and the UK. He’s had stakes in Harrods, the London Stock Exchange, and even the Shard, the tallest building in the EU, which earned him the nickname “the man who bought London,” from British national daily, The Independent.
He also owns one of the largest and most extravagant yachts in the world, the 436-foot Al Mirqab, valued at around $300 million. It comes complete with luxurious suites, a cinema, a helipad and all the trimmings of ultra-rich living.
As of 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth at $4 billion, placing him eighth on its list of the richest Arabs.
HBJ is Qatari royal who owns the Maybourne Beverly Hills + the 8-acre Bel Air estate. Allegations concerning his funding of the October 7 raids into Israel have motivated regular picket lines by pro-Israel activists.
James Tate, one of the protesters seen outside the hotel, claims the following to be true about Sheik bin Jaber:
HBJ sheltered 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
HBJ is the main patron of Hamas in Doha’s 5-star hotels
HBJ is the bagman behind the $30M monthly payments to Hamas in Gaza
HBJ is on record saying vile antisemitic statements – he’s a Jew-hater
HBJ “retired” in 2013, but he still funds terrorists & bullies rivals and silences critics with black-ops PR firms, spyware, and hush money. Including Mr Tate.
Two years ago HBJ tried unsuccessfully to sell the 747 in question. No one wanted it. Too big. Too expensive to run. Since its delivery in 2012, the plane has flown an average of two hours weekly.
A similar version of the same model Boeing 747 was listed for sale by the Qatari royal family in 2018, but there were no takers. So the jet was gifted to Turkish president Erdoğan.
***
If President Trump accepts the aircraft, it will not be capable of flying as Air Force One until 2027, if ever. That year happens to be the original target for delivering the next-generation presidential plane and its back-up by Boeing, which has been plagued by construction delays and cost overruns. Presently the delivery date has been reset to 2029.
The Air Force awarded Boeing a $3.9 billion fixed-price contract in July 2018 (during Trump’s first term) for two highly customized 747-8s, following months of negotiation. That price was intended to be final — meaning Boeing, not taxpayers, would absorb any cost overruns. The company has had to eat more than $2.5 billion in losses on the program.
The planes were to be equipped with cutting-edge defenses and communications systems, anti-missile technology, protection against hacking and the ability to operate during nuclear fallout.
The would-be gifted aircraft would have none of those features, and intelligence experts like Rep. James Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee told the SpyTalk podcast there are very real security concerns needing to be addressed.
But Himes is one of a number of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have zeroed in on what they see as an even bigger red flag: the potential that the airplane will come with concealed bugs, planted by any number of foreign “friends,” adversaries or terrorist groups, who could eavesdrop on the president’s communications while he is onboard. The only way to prevent that, Himes said, would be to completely disassemble the plane piece by piece to search for surveillance devices, a monumental undertaking that could take years and add untold tens of millions to the costs, turning the plane into a “flying white elephant.”
Are we looking at a Trojan Horse-style gift? It certainly sounds plausible. Again, via SpyTalk:
Trump said it would be "stupid" not to accept a “free” plane, but from a security perspective alone, it seems like a pretty dumb move. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the 200 miles of cable in the plane would be very difficult to check thoroughly for potential espionage vulnerabilities. “We’re going to go through every square inch of that to make certain the Qataris or some other government doesn’t have access to the most important decisions made by our president?” Durbin wondered. “This is irresponsible.”
The gift even prompted rare GOP backlash. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the plane “poses significant espionage and surveillance problems.” Beyond constitutional prohibitions against accepting foreign gifts, the intelligence community sees a Trojan horse scenario: a high-tech espionage platform disguised as a luxury gift.
I guess this debacle with a “gift” plane kinda proves just how much of a sucker Don the Con is in real life. Look for this deal to disappear way before midterm campaigns begin. (What? They’re already underway?) Maybe they can do the test flights in the Bermuda Triangle.
American Brain Drain by Melissa Ryan at CtrlAtlRightDelete
Not too long ago, America benefited from the brain drain of fascism and the political instability of other nations. I studied classical music in college, and many of my professors originally came from other countries, fleeing fascism and other forms of repressive government. Part of the reason America was able to dominate so many fields of study in academia, athletics, business, and the arts and culture is because so many of the world’s best and brightest came to us. American culture has never been our own but a collaboration of those who were forced to come here against their will, those who came for political reasons, and those who chose to come.
Now the reverse is happening. It’ll be a long, slow, painful process of those with means making the choice to leave -- many because of enticing offers from other parts of the world. The loss will be incalculable.
This is all by design, of course. The tech oligarchs, led by Curtis Yarvin, wanted a dark enlightenment where our institutions (which Yarvin referred to as ‘cathedrals’) fell. The goal was to tear America’s institutions to shreds, strip them for parts, and then rule over us as modern monarchs. In the short term, it’s hard not to argue that Yarvin and his acolytes have won.
***
Army to place large metal plates on DC streets to protect them from tanks during June parade by Tara Copp and Michelle L Price at The Associated Press
The Army will place large metal plates at key points on the streets of Washington to better protect the pavement from the movements of 25 M1 Abrams main battle tanks set to roll through the capital on June 14, a U.S. official told the Associated Press.
The tanks are a key part of a parade that will honor the Army’s 250th birthday and fall on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Since it was announced, the parade has grown in scope and participation, and one of the highlights will be columns of tanks rolling in formation along Constitution Avenue. Each Abrams tank can weigh 60 tons or more and carry a crew of four.
Concerns over the tanks’ weight, and what that would do to D.C.‘s streets, ultimately kept them from being used for a parade during Trump’s first term. The metal plates are seen as the best way to protect the streets Each plate weighs hundreds of pounds and will be placed at points along the parade route where the tanks will turn — and where their metal and rubber-shoed tracking that helps them move can do the most damage, the official said.
***
Stand Up and Speak Everything by Brad Willis at Perspectives
The concept of Parrhesia originates from ancient Greek, meaning "to speak everything."
Parrhesia was a key element of Athenian democracy and a favorite technique of the playwright Euripides in the fifth century B.C., whose works often addressed social, political, and moral issues that challenged the established powers.
Parrhesia meant that speaking the truth was a moral obligation even when it was done at great personal risk.
