President Trump’s confirmation that the United States may accept a presidential aircraft gifted from Qatar marked the latest escalation in his clash with Boeing.

The nation of Qatar offered the Trump administration a Boeing 747-8 for use as Air Force One. Trump called the plane a "gift," in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. A representative of the administration clarified that Qatar "has offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense," not to Trump himself.

Trump said accepting a luxury 747 from Qatar is a no-brainer. But critics say the plan threatens to turn a symbol of American power into a collection of legal and counterintelligence concerns.

Saudi Arabia didn't even wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to land there before it set out to impress him in a sky-high way. As Trump flew in to Riyadh on Tuesday, he got a ceremonial escort from six Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s as his plane approached the kingdom's capital — an exceptionally rare sight.

Treating the aircraft as safe for the commander in chief with just a few modifications is "absurd," one former senior defense official said.

The White House Correspondents Association says it is disturbed that no reporters from either The Associated Press, Bloomberg or Reuters were allowed on Air Force One to cover President Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East on Monday.

The Saudi investment forum played two of America's unofficial anthems as entrance music for President Trump's remarks: the theme song from the movie "Air Force One" and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA.

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