May 21 (UPI) -- The United States on Wednesday formally accepted a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet valued $400 million from Qatar to convert as Air Force One, the Defense Department confirmed Wednesday.
Afterward, President Donald Trump in the Oval Office called the gift "a great thing" and said Qatar handed over the plane "so they could help us out." Last week Trump announced plans for the gift from the Middle East nation to replace one of the 35-year-old Boeing jets used for the president.
The Qatari royal family used the 13-year-old plane, and Trump examined it in February in West Palm Beach. It is now at San Antonio International Airport, the Express-News reported.
Secretary of State Pete Hegseth "has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations," chief Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement to media, including The New York Times, The Hill and CNBC.
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