'Another Biden mess': Trump blasts Boeing for slow Air Force One delivery amid Qatar plane row

President Donald Trump Monday said he was "disappointed" in Boeing for not being quick enough to refurbish Air Force One. The President heaped praises for Qatar for offering him a free luxury jet valued at $400 million to use while in office, reported The New York Post.

“We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump noted that the current presidential aircraft is 40 years old and not in the same “ball game” as current planes used by other heads of state, especially in the Arab world. “I’m not happy with Boeing,” the president said in February, referring to the Air Force One program. "We may buy a plane or get a plane, or something."

“They’re way behind. They were way behind, another mess that I inherited from Biden, and it’s going to be a while before we get them,” Trump said of the Washington state-based aerospace giant.

Trump Donald Trump left for Saudi Arabia Monday, on what he called a "historic" tour of the Middle East that will mix urgent diplomacy on Gaza and Iran with huge business deals. Air Force One took off from Joint Base Andrews near Washington for a journey that will include visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- and possibly talks on the Ukraine war in Turkey.

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Trump on Qatar deal

“And I think Qatar, who has really — we’ve helped them a lot over the years in terms of security and safety — I felt they, I think they — and very, very nicely — and I have a lot of respect for the leadership and for the leader.”

The offer is “a very nice gesture,” the president added, telling reporters that he would take the plane.

The plane would be donated to the Department of Defense, and Trump stated he would use it only during his time in office—by which point Boeing’s aircraft should be completed—before ultimately donating the Qatar jet to his presidential library.

“If we can get a 747, as a contribution to our Defense Department to use a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture. Now I could be a stupid person to say, ‘Oh no, we don’t want a free plane.’”

“We give free things out. We’ll take one too, and it helps us out. Because, again, we’re talking about we have 40-year-old aircraft.”

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'Gesture of good faith'

Trump said the leadership of Qatar knew that Boeing has encountered delays building the next generation of the Air Force One aircraft and wanted to help by giving a plane to the US government. He said, “I could be a stupid person and say we don’t want a free plane” but that the gift from Qatar “helps us out” because the models he currently flies on are decades old.

“This was just a gesture of good faith,” Trump said. News of the $400 million gift prompted criticism from some Democrats and Trump allies. Trump said the plane would ultimately be decommissioned and go to his future presidential library. He said he would not fly on it after he leaves office.

The offer by Qatar has raised alarms among ethics watchdogs, who have raised questions about the possibility of a quid pro quo expectation of Washington by Doha. Trump lambasted an ABC reporter for raising that criticism Monday, calling it a “stupid question.”

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“Any gift given by a foreign government is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “President Trump’s Administration is committed to full transparency.”

Trump will visit Qatar on the second leg of his trip to the Middle East this week. A White House official told The Post Monday that the plane will neither be presented nor accepted during Trump’s time in the emirate.