Qatar handed Donald Trump a retrofitted Boeing 747 worth $400 million. The plane features luxury appointments. It now serves as Air Force One for trips like the one to North Dakota. This raised ethical concerns, which is a polite way of saying everyone pretends to care for thirty seconds before moving on.
The jet was refurbished with amenities befitting a man who definitely needed a foreign government to buy him a plane. Worth noting that North Dakota could have been reached via literally any aircraft capable of flight. But why settle for a $50 million jet when Qatar will spot you $400 million? Fiscally responsible.
Ethical concerns. That phrase does heavy lifting here. A foreign nation gifts the sitting president a luxury aircraft worth more than the GDP of several small countries, and the official response amounts to a shrug emoji. The normalization process continues at a brisk pace.
Retail traders saw this headline and immediately started searching for a Qatar Airlines ETF that doesn't exist. They convinced themselves this signals a bull market in Middle Eastern aircraft manufacturers. One guy on Reddit calculated that if he buys Boeing calls, he can retire in six months. He will not retire in six months.
Trump flew to North Dakota in a plane paid for by Qatar. North Dakota has fewer people than some shopping malls. The optics professionals assigned to this trip have already updated their LinkedIn profiles to "seeking new opportunities."
The plane has luxury features. No further details provided, but we can assume gold-plated everything and bathrooms larger than your studio apartment. The American presidency now comes with a complimentary sky palace courtesy of a Gulf state monarchy, and half the country thinks this is fine because at least gas was cheaper last year.
Your tax dollars didn't pay for the plane, which means technically you saved money on this deal.
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