MAY 12 — Presidential libraries – the idea sounds noble, right? Halls of wisdom, hushed corridors, the smell of old paper and polished brass. In reality, they’re more like retirement plans for ex-presidents – a place to stash their legacies, sanitize their scandals, and squeeze a few more bucks out of the faithful.
And then there’s Trump. Never one to settle for a dusty room full of memos and medals, the man’s taking it airborne. Word is, the Qataris just gifted him a US$400 million flying palace – a Boeing 747, complete with gold-plated seatbelts and a landing strip for his ego. It’s the kind of plane that makes Air Force One look like a budget airline.
How did he pull this off? Easy. Through the presidential library loophole – a scam so obvious it’s practically waving a neon sign that says “Grift Here.”
See, you can’t hand a sitting president a mountain of cash, but if you sneak it through the backdoor of a library fund, it’s suddenly a “donation to democracy.” Drop a few hundred million into a library fund, slap your name on a wing, and voilà – you’re a patron of American history, not a lobbyist in a fancier suit.
And you know this flying temple to Trumpism will be a sight. Maybe a gilded spiral staircase that leads to a room where Fox News is always on, the air thick with the musk of ego and Aqua Net.
The motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump is parked next to a 12-year old Qatari-owned Boeing 747-8 that Trump was touring in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 15, 2025. — Reuters
A replica of the Oval Office, complete with a button that orders Big Macs at 40,000 feet. Maybe a hologram of Trump himself, endlessly reciting his greatest hits: “Lock her up!” “Fake news!” and “Nobody builds better walls.”
And let’s not forget the in-flight menu – well-done steak with ketchup, Diet Coke on tap, and two scoops of ice cream for the man himself, because, well, he’s earned it.
But the real kicker? This whole thing will be polished up at taxpayer expense. The jet will moonlight as Air Force One for a few years before quietly slipping into Trump’s presidential library, neatly sidestepping every ethics law the man’s ever ignored.
It’s the kind of grift that’s so brazen it almost demands a round of applause. I mean, conning the system is one thing – strapping wings to it and soaring above the law? That’s a whole new level.
The rest of the world’s billionaires are racing to Mars, but Trump’s figured out how to stay right here, living large on the American dime.
So, here’s to the man who turned a library into a jumbo jet. May his ego stay as inflated as those 747 tires – because, really, how else would it ever get off the ground?
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
