May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's

administration intends to accept a Boeing 747-8 plane as

a gift from the Qatari royal family that would be outfitted to

serve as Air Force One, according to a source briefed on the

matter.

The luxury plane, which would be one of the most valuable

gifts ever received by the U.S. government, would eventually be

donated to Trump's presidential library after he leaves office,

the source said. A new commercial 747-8 costs approximately $400

million.

In a post on his social media site Truth Social late on

Sunday, Trump appeared to confirm the proposal.

"So 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 that they insist

we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane," he wrote.

Democrats and good government advocates said it was

unethical and likely unconstitutional for Qatar to make such a

gift.

"Nothing says 'America First' like Air Force One, brought to

you by Qatar," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on

X. "It's not just bribery, it's premium foreign influence with

extra legroom."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a

statement, "Any gift given by a foreign government is always

accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws. President

Trump's administration is committed to full transparency."

A Qatari spokesperson, Ali Al-Ansari, told the New York

Times that the possible transfer of the aircraft was still under

consideration and "no decision has been made," the newspaper

reported.

ABC News was first to report the planned gift on Sunday.

Trump has expressed frustration at the delays in delivering

two new 747-8 aircraft to serve as an updated Air Force One.

During his first term, Trump had reached a deal with Boeing ( BA ) to

deliver the jets in 2024. A U.S. Air Force official told

Congress last week that Boeing ( BA ) had proposed finishing the planes

by 2027.

Trump toured the Qatari-owned 747-8 in February when it was

parked at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, near his

Mar-a-Lago resort. At the time, the White House said the

president did so to get a better understanding of how the

updated Air Force One planes would be configured.

In a statement, a spokesman for Citizens for Responsibility

and Ethics, a good government organization based in Washington,

questioned whether the transfer might violate the Constitution's

ban on U.S. officials accepting gifts from foreign governments

absent congressional approval.

"This sure looks like a foreign country that the president

has personal business dealings in giving the president a $400

million gift right before he meets with their head of state,"

the spokesman, Jordan Libowitz, said.

Trump is set to visit Qatar during a trip to the Middle East

this week. The airplane will not be presented or accepted while

Trump is in Qatar.

ABC reported, citing sources, that lawyers for the White

House counsel's office and the Department of Justice had

prepared an analysis concluding that it would be legal and

constitutional for the Defense Department to accept the plane as

a gift and later transfer it to Trump's presidential library.