SC leaders applaud Qatar deal for Boeing jets, question raised about $400M gifted plane
South Carolina leaders reacted to President Donald Trump's recent visit to Qatar — where he finalized a deal to sell American jets to Qatar's fleet and was offered a $400 million jet as a gift from the prime minister.
Trump returned to the United States on May 16 after a four-day visit to Middle Eastern countries. Part of the tour included a stop in Qatar, where Trump signed an agreement to create an economic exchange worth $1.2 trillion, according to the White House.
That agreement included a $96 billion agreement to sell hundreds of Boeing jets to Qatar Airways. Boeing will produce 210 777X and 787 Dreamliner jets, which are built in South Carolina, to join Qatar Airways' fleet.
The White House issued a statement on the sale that claims the agreement is Boeing's "largest-ever widebody order and largest-ever 787 order."
Boeing built its first South Carolina 787 Dreamliner in April 2012. The North Charleston manufacturing facility became the only producer of the Dreamliner in the United States in 2021, when the company moved production from its Everett, Washington, facility.
Republican U.S. Rep. William Timmons (SC-4th District) said that trade negotiations between the U.S. and foreign nations are going well — and while there are a lot of difficult changes underway, those factors create a "perfect storm" that strengthens the U.S. economy.
"It's just exciting," Timmons said. "All the ingredients are getting right in the next few months."
Boeing Commercial Airplane President Stephanie Pope said the company is honored that Qatar Airways has placed the record-breaking order.
"Our team is looking forward to building 787s and 777s for Qatar Airways into the next decade as they connect more people and businesses around the world with unmatched efficiency and comfort," Pope said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster addressed the deal on May 15 while he met with state leaders on storm preparedness for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.
"We've done a lot of business with Qatar," McMaster said. "The work that he's (Trump's) done over there is just remarkable."
Trump faced criticism from key Republican and Democratic lawmakers earlier this week when he posted on Truth Social that the Department of Defense was offered a Boeing 747 as a gift from Qatari leaders.
"The fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats," the president said.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was among critics of the president's potential acceptance of the jet. She also posted about the matter on social media and said that accepting gifts from foreign nations is never a good practice.
"Regardless of how beautiful the plane may be, it opens a door and implies the President and US can be bought," Haley said. "If this were Biden, we would be furious.
Reporter Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com.