Radio host Charlamagne Tha God sounded the alarm Wednesday over reports that President Donald Trump may accept a $400 million Boeing 747-8 from Qatar to be used as a future Air Force One and later donated to his presidential library. Speaking on “The Breakfast Club,” Charlamagne claimed that such a move would violate the Constitution’s emoluments clause and could signal a breakdown of legal norms in America.
“It’s unconstitutional. You cannot take the plane. Full stop,” Charlamagne said. “We got to stop having this conversation like, maybe he can, maybe he can’t. No. It’s actually just unlawful.”
Charlamagne went even further, suggesting that ignoring constitutional boundaries could lead to darker consequences. “If we just saying F the Constitution, you ready to be considered three-fourths of a human again?” he asked, referencing the historical three-fifths compromise from Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution.
However, legal experts like Alan Dershowitz disagree. Dershowitz argued Tuesday that the gift would be offered to the U.S. government — not Trump personally — which would likely make it constitutional under the emoluments clause.
“There have been a couple of occasions where presidents have taken some gifts, for example, letters,” Dershowitz said. “But mostly they go to the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, or to presidential libraries — which are operated by the National Archives.”
Dershowitz emphasized that presidential libraries are not personal property, clarifying that the plane’s intended future location would not trigger constitutional issues.
Trump has previously faced emoluments-related lawsuits during his first term, particularly over foreign spending at his hotels. Those cases were eventually dismissed by federal courts.