for better or worse, it appears to be a done deal

Whatever you might think of the US's accepting the gift of a 747 from the nation of Qatar, it seems the gift has now been accepted in the larger context of a set of deals made between Qatar and the US. See here (paywall):

Trump Strikes $244 Billion in Deals With Qatar, Including ‘Historic’ Boeing Jet Sale
Qatar Airways signed a $96 billion agreement to acquire up to 210 American-made 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft from Boeing.

DOHA, Qatar—President Donald Trump announced on May 14 more than $243.5 billion in economic deals between the United States and Qatar, including a $96 billion agreement for Boeing to sell up to 210 jets to Qatar Airways.

The White House stated that the agreement with Qatar is projected to generate at least $1.2 trillion in economic exchange between both countries.

The deal was signed amid Trump’s four-day trip to the Middle East. The president was joined by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for the signing ceremony in Doha.

Trump had signed multiple agreements with Saudi Arabia the day prior.

Ortberg signed the deal with Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer while standing next to Trump and Tamim. The president said Ortberg told him that it’s “the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing.”

The White House released a fact sheet after the ceremony confirming that Qatar Airways had signed a $96 billion agreement to acquire up to 210 U.S.-made 787 Dreamliner and 777X aircraft from Boeing with GE Aerospace engines inside.

“This historic agreement will support 154,000 U.S. jobs annually, totaling over 1 million jobs in the United States during the course of production and delivery of this deal,” the White House stated.

Other Economic Deals Signed With Qatar

The president was also present to sign a defense agreement and an unspecified joint declaration with Tamim.

“I think after signing these documents, we are going to another level of relationship between Qatar and the United States,” the Qatari leader said.

Among the agreements is a deal between American engineering company McDermott and Qatar Energy, which will partner with seven active energy infrastructure projects worth $8.5 billion.

Parsons, a defense contractor, was awarded 30 projects worth up to $97 billion, that will create “thousands of jobs across the United States,” according to the White House.

Qatari company Al Rabban Capital finalized a joint venture with quantum computing company Quantinuum to invest up to $1 billion in quantum technologies and workforce development in the United States.

Aerospace and defense contractor Raytheon, now a business unit of RTX, secured a $1 billion project for Qatar’s acquisition of counter-drone capabilities, which was approved by U.S. and Qatari officials.

Qatar Gifts New Air Force One Jet

On May 11, Trump announced that his administration would be receiving a plane from Qatar to be temporarily used as the new Air Force One while Boeing contends with continued delays on the jet it is contractually obligated to build for the Department of Defense.

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.

The decision to accept the plane—a Boeing 747-8—for the Defense Department has been met with criticism from several lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who called the gift “corrupt” and a “grave national security threat.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Spectrum News: “Air Force One is the symbol of America. When it lands or flies, it is America flying and landing. And I want to make sure that this whole thing is kosher. Time will tell.”

Trump said accepting the jet in place of the plane that Boeing is readying for the Defense Department will save the government money.

Others have raised national security concerns over using the plane as Air Force One.

The gift of the 747 is a separate matter from the above-mentioned Boeing deal. That latter deal seems to be a boost for American manufacturing (like the other deals mentioned), but I have to wonder whether Boeing will be as sluggish with Qatar as it's been in producing the new Air Force One. Qatar could end up losing patience, which might be inadvertently hilarious. Meanwhile, was Qatar, in making these deals, obliged to yield any concessions in terms of its terrorism sponsorship, or was that delicate matter never brought up? I'll also be curious to see whether Trump gets the new 747 vetted for security... or will he just start riding in it? As I said before: I'm far less concerned about whether this gift "looks bad" than about whether it presents safety and security concerns from yet another nation that is all handshakes with one hand while undermining our country with the other.