President Donald Trump’s confirmation Sunday that the United States may accept a presidential aircraft gifted from Qatar marked the latest escalation in his clash with Boeing, which is years behind on its government contract to build the new Air Force One.

Taxpayers would likely foot the bill to retrofit President Trump's new jet, which could be more than twice the plane's $400 million value.

The nation of Qatar offered the Trump administration a Boeing 747-8 for use as Air Force One. Trump called the plane a "gift," in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. A representative of the administration clarified that Qatar "has offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense," not to Trump himself.

Security experts told BI that the work required to make a plane from Qatar ready to be Air Force One would be like building a new plane.

Any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.

Trump said accepting a luxury 747 from Qatar is a no-brainer. But critics say the plan threatens to turn a symbol of American power into a collection of legal and counterintelligence concerns.

Saudi Arabia didn't even wait for U.S. President Donald Trump to land there before it set out to impress him in a sky-high way. As Trump flew in to Riyadh on Tuesday, he got a ceremonial escort from six Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s as his plane approached the kingdom's capital — an exceptionally rare sight.