A prominent presidential historian flagged a striking irony behind President Donald Trump's first trip in his Qatari jet on Wednesday.
Last year, Trump was gifted a jet worth more than $400 million by the Qataris, which was subsequently renovated from tip to tail using American taxpayer money. Trump took the plane out for a spin on Wednesday, flying to North Dakota for the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a move that raised several red flags for historian Douglas Brinkley.
"I don't know what American can applaud the idea of [Qatar] gifting a plane like this to Donald Trump, andhaving it at the presidential library. So it really does feel like the White House has a for-sale sign and that you can, you can influencepedal," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper on "AC360."
Brinkley noted it was ironic for Trump to use the jet for such an occasion, given that Roosevelt was a fierce anti-corruption advocate while he was in office.
Trump, on the other hand, has seemed to embrace corruption as reports indicate he has profited greatly from his position, Brinkley argued.
"We can't just sweep thisunder the rug," Brinkley said. "The American citizens have to know how he earned that $2 billion and really talk about it because the crypto part of this, to me, is mind-boggling how he can be playing these games with it."