{"id":11686,"date":"2025-05-16T17:27:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T21:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=11686"},"modified":"2025-05-16T17:27:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T21:27:06","slug":"the-gift-and-a-regifting-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2025\/05\/16\/the-gift-and-a-regifting-proposal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gift \u2013 and a Regifting Proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The gift was BIG<\/strong> news; big in so many ways. I\u2019m talking about the BIG gift that the government of Qatar presented to our BIG and powerful President.\u00a0 Likely the most lavish and valuable gift ever extended to the U.S. by a foreign government.<\/p>\n

A VERY BIG, luxurious Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet, worth about $400 million (and that\u2019s before required upgrades<\/a>).\u00a0 Known as a \u201cflying palace,\u201d the jet is decked out with gold walls, winding staircases, plush carpeting, opulent furnishings, \u00a0leather couches and more. It would serve as Air Force One.\u00a0 Read more here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, here\u2019s the rub. The so-called emolument clause of the U.S. Constitution<\/a> \u2013 sometimes called the No Title of Nobility Clause– \u00a0(Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8) prohibits any U.S. government official from accepting any gifts from foreign governments without the consent of Congress.\u00a0 Specifically, it states:\u00a0 \u201cNo title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress<\/em>, accept of any present<\/em>, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.\u201d [emphasis added]<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pretty sure the President did not seek Congressional consent, but no worries.\u00a0 As you can read here<\/a>, Trump’s Justice Department concluded that it\u2019s legal and I guess just fine for the President to accept this BIG gift, as long as he turns it over to the Trump Library Fund<\/em> before he leaves office. (Which is not the same<\/a> as the Trump Presidential Library, <\/em>which is run by the National Archives.)<\/p>\n

And Trump\u2019s top White House lawyer also agreed that it was \u201clegally permissible\u201d\u00a0 to accept the gift conditioned on the transfer of ownership to the Trump Library Fund.\u00a0 Turn it over to the Trump Library Fund?\u00a0 Not to the Department of Defense? Or to the next President for her (ever hopeful) future use?\u00a0 To me, that sounds a lot like turning it over to Mr. Trump.<\/p>\n

And after following some ABC reporting,<\/a> a couple of Senators weighed in. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said via social media, “Nothing says ‘America First’ like Air Force One, brought to you by Qatar. It’s not just bribery, it’s premium foreign influence with extra legroom.” And Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) cited the Constitution’s No Title of Nobility clause, writing, “the corruption is brazen.”\u00a0 Some Republicans were also concerned.\u00a0 Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas) was among several Republicans taking issue with the idea of super luxury gift. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) argued the president’s plane should not come from a foreign nation.\u00a0 Read more here.<\/a> here<\/a><\/p>\n

But Mr. Trump is none too happy with these criticisms, noting \u201cI would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person say, \u2018No, we don\u2019t want a free, very expensive airplane.\u2019 But it was \u2014 I thought it was a great gesture.\u201d Only stupid people reject gifts.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s My Proposal<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most of us are likely familiar with the concept of regifting (though I\u2019m not sure about Mr. Trump).\u00a0 Merriam Webster<\/a> defines it as giving a previously received gift to someone else.\u00a0 I propose that Mr. Trump sell his flying palace at market value ($400 million). Perhaps Elon would be willing to buy it. And then regift the proceeds to our nation\u2019s workers.\u00a0 $400 million would be a BIG deal for the working men and women of this country. They are, after all, the mainstay and the lifeblood of our families, communities, business enterprises, and non-profit organizations, along with a goodly portion of our national economy.\u00a0 Some voted for Mr. Trump and continue to be vocal supporters.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m confident that Confined Space readers would have good ideas on how to spend that $400 million to advance the health, safety, and well-being of our nation\u2019s workers and their families.\u00a0 Let\u2019s try some crowdsourcing. <\/strong>\u00a0Here are a few ideas to get us started; please add your own in the comments.<\/p>\n