The decision to accept a donated commercial aircraft, which President Trump has said will serve as Air Force One, has raised security and ethics questions.

An Oklahoma senator claimed during a CNN interview that discussions around the plane dated back to the Biden administration.

Trump has said the Qatari government offered him the jet as a “gift,” meaning the U.S. government would not have to pay to obtain it. But the widebody airliner would still need an extensive and potentially costly overhaul before the president could use it.

Qatar's leader called its offer of a Boeing 747 to the US "a normal thing between allies" and denied trying to "buy influence" with the administration.

PM Sheikh Al Thani defended Qatar’s offer to gift a Boeing 747-8 aircraft to Trump, calling it a “normal thing that happens between allies."

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell is joined by Maryland Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin to discuss the controversy surrounding Donald Trump's push to accept a Boeing 747 from Qatar.

The latest government figures show Qantas, due to its self-inflicted fleet constraints, is losing ground to international competitors on most routes except to New Zealand. Qantas has also been forced to cut in half its wet lease agreement with Finnair due to industrial problems in Helsinki, adding to capacity problems.