Trump furious as reports expose problems with his new Qatar jet

Jul 11, 2026

Bad news for press freedom and government accountability, as Trump goes after journalists who reported on his corruption and a costly, poorly-equipped new plane.

  • Trump is fuming that reports revealed his $400 million jet gifted by Qatar lacks the defensive systems the old Air Force One had, and needed two planes flown to a NATO trip at double the cost.
  • In response, his administration subpoenaed New York Times journalists and sent federal agents to reporters' homes to intimidate them.
  • Critics call the Qatar jet a bribe that also puts national security at risk, and say punishing reporters attacks the First Amendment.
  • Trump also threatened to "decimate" Iran with a thousand missiles if it tries to assassinate him, while Iran rejected fresh talks and Oman floated a deal over the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Separately, Congressman Ro Khanna became the first US congressman detained by armed Israeli settlers in the West Bank, with IDF soldiers backing the settlers.

Outlook: The subpoena fight heads toward a grand jury within days, and tensions with Iran and over West Bank settler violence look set to keep rising.

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