The administration’s plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet from the Qatari royal family is only the latest example of an increasingly no-holds-barred atmosphere in Washington under Trump 2.0. Not only would the famously transactional chief executive be able to use the plane while in office, but he is also expected to transfer it to his presidential foundation once he leaves the White House.
The second Trump administration is showing striking disdain for onetime norms of propriety and for traditional legal and political guardrails around public service. It is clearly emboldened, in part because of the Supreme Court’s ruling last year that granted immunity to presidents for their official actions and because of the political reality that Mr. Trump’s hold on the Republican Party means he need not fear impeachment.
Newsmax guest says Trump accepting a luxury jet from the Qatari royal family is “offensive to people who want to join the movement”
Batya Ungar-Sargon: “While I do not believe Donald Trump can be bribed at all, the appearance there I think is offensive to people who want to join the movement, who want to be part of it, but are offended by this”
Published
Citation
From the May 12, 2025, edition of Newsmax's Finnerty
ROB FINNERTY (HOST): I saw you on Newsmax earlier today. You are against Donald Trump getting a free 747 from Qatar?
BATYA UNGAR-SARGON (GUEST): I sure am, yeah.
FINNERTY: Still?
UNGAR-SARGON: You know, I got to say, a conflict of interest is not just whether the conflict is there, it's also in the appearance. And while I do not believe Donald Trump can be bribed at all, the appearance there I think is offensive to people who want to join the movement, who want to be part of it, but are offended by this.
FINNERTY: So Qatar, state sponsor of terrorism. I get that. That's problematic. But boy oh boy, you think about political bribes, what about Burisma putting Hunter Biden on the board of a Ukrainian energy company when he when Joe was vice president? Would that be a bribe?
UNGAR-SARGON: You know what? We're better than them. That's the whole point.
FINNERTY: I still think this deal could happen, and I still think this happens all the time in politics.