Free Republic

There’s more to Donald Trump’s Middle East trip than billion-dollar contracts, parades of camels and a storm back home over Qatar’s offer to give the president a new Air Force One. A tour narrowly billed by the White House as a chance for Trump to show he’s a master dealmaker is jumbling the region’s geopolitical jigsaw puzzle.Wherever he goes, Trump’s brings disruption that can forge possibilities. And he takes risks – for instance, his decision on this trip to lift sanctions on Syria to give a war-ravaged nation a second chance.But the move revives a perennial question about Trump’s entire...

Qatar signs an agreement with Boeing to purchase 160 aircraft — the largest widebody aircraft order in the American company's history

The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME! It is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our Government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive. Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done. This big savings...

The Democrats have been desperate to find a scandal to pin on Trump, and their latest attempt may be the stupidest yet. It was recently reported that the Trump administration is gearing up to accept a high-end Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family—a luxury aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One during President Trump’s second term. Naturally, the left is already losing its mind, but here’s the reality: this is a win for taxpayers. In the wake of media hysteria over the offer from Qatar to provide the United States with an aircraft, Buzz...

President Donald Trump’s confirmation Sunday that the United States may accept a presidential aircraft gifted from Qatar marked the latest escalation in his clash with Boeing, which is years behind on its government contract to build the new Air Force One.Boeing was supposed to deliver a replacement for Air Force One last year, but significant delays have cost the plane maker billions on the project. They have also drawn ire from the president, who told reporters aboard Air Force One in February that he was “not happy with Boeing” and may purchase a plane elsewhere.Now, as the U.S. government weighs...

The Scoop The detailed specifications of a Boeing 747 that appears to be the same plane offered by the Qatari government to President Donald Trump are available online, offering a glimpse inside the luxurious jet. The tail number of the plane, which ABC News first reported would be offered by Qatar to Trump, is visible in photographs of the aircraft during a stop at Palm Beach International Airport earlier this year. That number is a match for the Boeing serial number of a plane marketed by the company in 2020 in reporting at the time. Though the listing for...

President Donald Trump is reportedly set to receive a lavish Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from Qatar’s royal family. The nearly brand-new aircraft, originally commissioned by Qatari royals, will be temporarily used as Air Force One during Trump’s second term and then donated to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation upon the conclusion of his presidency, according to sources familiar with the arrangement who spoke to ABC News. The aircraft, which has flown only a handful of times, is estimated to be worth upwards of $400 million and features gold-plated fixtures, private suites, and luxury lounges fit for royalty. President Trump reportedly...

In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar -- a gift that is to be available for use by President Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement told ABC News. The gift is expected to be announced next week, when Trump...

Multiple fires were set by Antifia militants at the University of Washington campus in Seattle on Monday night. A group of black bloc Antifa occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering building and blockaded the doors. The building opened just a few weeks ago and the $100 million price tag was funded by private donors, taxpayers, a federal grant, Amazon, T-Mobile and Boeing. Activists blocked streets with bike racks and dumpsters and set them on fire. Antifa gathered rocks to throw at police. The fires were set around 10:30 pm local time and neither police nor fire fighters were on the scene as...

Pro-Palestinian students at the University of Washington occupied the Interdisciplinary Engineering Building Monday evening, renaming it the Shaban al-Dalou Building, in protest against the university's ties to Boeing. A separate group dressed in all black stacked furniture to create a blockade in front of the building before toppling dumpsters to block off nearby Jefferson Road, then confronted a security officer until he drove away.

President Trump has ordered himself a ritzy private plane after giving up hope that Boeing could hand over a revamped Air Force One. The commander in chief is getting an L3Harris jet decked out with suites, plush carpeting, leather couches and more that was once owned by the Qatari government, according to The Wall Street Journal. The interior of the opulent plane was done by famed French interior design firm Alberto Pinto Cabinet — and boasts gold-colored walls and gold furnishings, reminiscent of Trump’s opulent home in Trump Tower. L3Harris is working to transform the lavish plane into one with...

In response to ongoing concerns about Boeing’s delays, President Donald J. Trump has asked L3Harris Technologies to provide an interim presidential aircraft by the end of the year, according to The Wall Street Journal. This decision marks a significant change in how presidential flights will be handled. Boeing, which was awarded a $3.9 billion contract to deliver two next-generation Air Force One aircraft, has fallen significantly behind schedule by years and is now billions of dollars over budget. Trump’s newly selected contractor, L3Harris, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, is tasked with retrofitting a previously Qatari-owned Boeing 747 as a temporary command...

Ryanair (NASDAQ:RYAAY) just fired a warning shot and it landed squarely on Boeing's (NYSE:BA) front porch. CEO Michael O'Leary says the airline could cancel its jaw-dropping $33 billion order for 330 Boeing jets if U.S. tariffs start driving up prices. His message? If the aircraft get more expensive because of politics, Ryanair will walk. O'Leary made it clear in a letter to Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi: Ryanair isn't in the business of paying for Washington's trade wars. And if Boeing loses its price edge? He's open to alternatives, even China's Comac.

Lockheed bets on F-35 upgrades to remain relevant in an airpower race with China that favors revolution over evolution US F-35 in a file photo. Image: US Air Force Bested at the next-generation US fighter competition, Lockheed Martin is betting big on turning the F-35 into a “fifth-gen-plus” fighter — retrofitting tomorrow’s tech into yesterday’s jet to stay in the game. This month, multiple media sources reported that Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet announced that the defense giant will not challenge the US Air Force’s decision to award the US$20 billion Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter contract to rival...

These vacationers really raised the roof — but, no, they weren’t partying. Freaked-out air travelers were forced to hold up the roof of a plane after its interior suddenly caved in during a recent trip from Atlanta to Chicago on April 14. “My homie was on a Delta flight and the ceiling collapsed ... Representatives for Delta Air Lines told The Post, “Delta thanks our customers for their patience and cooperation. We apologize for the delay in their travels.” The spokesperson said that the Boeing 717’s “panel was later affixed into place so customers did not have to manually hold...

In Astronauts carefully tell the truth, I noted astronaut Butch Wilmore confirmed Elon Musk’s assertion that he and Suni Williams really were stranded on the ISS, and that Musk offered to bring them home during Biden’s Handler’s Administration but was refused because they didn’t want Biden to look bad before the election. The Biden Administration and the Democrat media went to great lengths to deny they were stranded. Arizona Democrat Senator Mark Kelly’s brother Scott claimed there was always a capsule docked there so they could come home at will. While there was a capsule docked, it was there as...

Chinese airlines have begun returning Boeing aircraft to the U.S., with one 737 Max recently landing back at a Boeing production hub in Seattle over the weekend, according to Reuters. Saturday’s return occurred shortly after China ordered its airlines not to take further deliveries of Boeing aircraft in response to the U.S. imposing 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, Bloomberg News reported last week. A trio of 737 Max 8 jets that were originally being readied at Boeing’s Zhoushan delivery center for two Chinese airlines were recalled to the U.S. last week, according to aviation news service The Air Current, citing...

The Chinese Communist Party has ordered its state-controlled airlines to halt all deliveries of Boeing aircraft, striking a blow to one of America’s manufacturing giants. The directive, reported by Bloomberg News, comes as a retaliatory jab in response to President Donald Trump’s bold 145% tariffs on Chinese goods—a policy aimed at leveling the playing field for American workers long exploited by China’s unfair trade practices. Boeing, the US’ largest exporter, now faces the loss of a critical market. China’s top three airlines—Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern—had planned to receive 179 Boeing planes between 2025 and 2027. This abrupt...

Boeing, a 'top US exporter,' was angling to challenge Airbus' dominance in Chinese market.. Chinese airlines have been ordered not to take any further deliveries of Boeing aircraft in response to the U.S. imposing 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, ... The aerospace company calls itself a "top U.S. exporter" that serves "customers in more than 150 countries." Boeing's year-to-date deliveries show that 18 aircraft have been delivered to nine airlines in China. The country's top three airlines – Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – have plans to take delivery of 45, 53 and 81 Boeing planes,...

Wilmore gave a near minute-by-minute retelling of what went through his mind when four thrusters on the Boeing-made spacecraft failed while he and Williams were attempting to dock at the International Space Station. The near-catastrophic crisis caused Wilmore to lose full control of the plagued capsule, leaving the seasoned astronauts floating in the vast void of space until NASA’s mission control came to their rescue. “I don’t know that we can come back to Earth at that point,” Wilmore, 62, recalled in an interview with Ars Technica. Wilmore explained that flight regulations typically call for malfunctioned ships to abort docking...