Donald Trump lashed out again over reporters’ inquiries on what has been a controversial topic: Qatar’s gift of a $400 million jet to be used as Air Force One.
ABC News first reported last week of plans by the administration to accept the gift, and that it will be later transferred to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office.
In the Oval Office to meet with South African Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump grew irate when NBC News‘ Chief White House Correspondent Peter Alexander asked about the jet gift.
“You know, you ought to get out of here. What does this have to do with the Qatari jet? They are giving the United States Air Force a jet, OK? And it’s a great thing. We’re talking about a lot of other things, and it is NBC trying to get off the subject of what you just saw. You are a terrible reporter. Number one, you don’t have what it takes to be a reporter. You are not smart enough. But for you to go on to a subject about a jet that was given to the United States Air Force, which is a very nice thing.”
Trump then claimed that Qatar was giving $5.1 trillion in investment in addition to jet.
“You ought to go back to your studio at NBC, because Brian Roberts and the people that run that place, they ought to be investigated,” Trump said. “They are so terrible the way you run that network. And you are a disgrace. No more questions from you.”
Trump has been particularly rankled over questions about the Qatar plane, and lashed out last week when he got a question from an ABC News reporter who asked about criticism that it would ultimately be a personal gift to him. Later in the week, Trump took to Truth Social and threatened the network with another lawsuit over its reporting on the plane. Like he did with NBC, he also called out the parent company CEO, this time Bob Iger.
Spokespersons for NBC News and Comcast did not immediately return requests for comment.
Trump has long lashed out at CEOs of major media companies over the reporting in their news divisions. In his first term, he suggested that Comcast should lose its FCC license as he was upset over an NBC News report. The president also has lashed out at Alexander before, including in 2020, at the start of the Covid pandemic for a rather mild question of what he should say to Americans who were scared of the virus.
ABC News today reported that the Pentagon had officially accepted the luxury jet gift.
At his Oval Office meeting with Ramaphosa, Trump showed a video which he said backed up his claims that white South Africans were victims of mass killings. According to FactCheck.org, describing the situation as “genocide” is a mischaracterization of the term. Ramaphosa tried to refute Trump’s claims.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you,” Ramaphosa told Trump.
“I wish you did. I would take it,” Trump said.