The Qatari plane and its whiff of excess would also seem at odds with Trump’s message that Americans may have to make do with less as he remakes the global economic order.

WASHINGTON — In Donald Trump’s vision, he’s set to usher in an American “golden age” in which the nation makes more of the world’s goods and sells more of its products.

But when it comes to the president’s personal travel, he’s ready to ditch the old 747 known as Air Force One in favor of a luxe jet that the royal family of Qatar, a tiny yet rich Arab country nearly 7,000 miles away, wants to gift to the U.S.

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The image of the ‘America First’ president floating above the clouds in Qatari splendor doesn’t sit well with some of the MAGA faithful, much less the good government groups who warn the deal may run afoul of the constitutional clause that bars gifts from foreign nations absent congressional approval.

“That’s a pretty strange offer,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. said.

Laura Loomer, a Trump ally, posted on social media that while she would “take a bullet” for the president, accepting a plane from Qatar would be “such a stain” on the Trump administration. “I’m so disappointed,” she wrote.

In a post Sunday, Rep. Warren Davidson, an Ohio Republican, didn’t specifically mention Trump or the Qatari plane, but invoked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her family foundation’s acceptance of foreign donations.

“At a minimum, ‘bad idea,’” he wrote.  

Trump was unapologetic in a public appearance Monday. He said that the plane will someday be an exhibit in his presidential library after he leaves office and added he wouldn’t use it as a private citizen.

He commended Qatar for what he described as a generous and welcome offer. A peninsula that juts into the Persian Gulf, Qatar is one stop on the president’s visit this week to the Middle East, the first major foreign trip of his second term.

“They’re giving us a free jet,” Trump said. “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.’ You know?”

A Qatar press official, Ali Al-Ansari, said in a statement Sunday said the deal still under review.

“The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made,” he said.

Trump reiterated his frustration over the time it’s taken for Boeing to complete jets that will replace the 747s that he is using now. The new planes may not be ready until 2027, the midpoint of Trump’s term.

Converting the Qatari gift into Air Force One would require an overhaul that would take years to carry out and raise possible security concerns, according to three aviation and intelligence experts. It would likely would have to be effectively dismantled, part by part, to ensure there were no listening devices or other security vulnerabilities that could allow foreign powers to eavesdrop.

The commercial jet would then have to be refitted with costly, sophisticated systems for mid-air refueling, missile defense, secure government communications and back-up power. The plane also would need to be hardened against potential electromagnetic pulse weapons.

Air Force One is more than a means of presidential travel. With its distinctive blue and white, it is an emblem of American power and prestige. It functions as a kind of flying bunker for the commander in chief, capable of withstanding a nuclear blast. If the transfer happens, Air Force One would acquire what some describe as a foreign taint for this quintessential symbol of American pride.

The Qatari plane and its whiff of excess would also seem at odds with Trump’s message that Americans may have to make do with less as he remakes the global economic order. Fewer dolls and pencils for America’s children, while the president flies in style.

Ari Fleischer, who was press secretary in Republican President George W. Bush’s White House, posted on social media that “Nothing about getting Air Force One from a foreign government feels right.”