President Donald Trump scolded an ABC reporter on Monday, telling her she should be embarrassed for asking about accepting a luxury jet from the nation of Qatar, and that it would be “stupid” to turn it down.
“What do you say to people who view that luxury jet as a personal gift to you?” ABC’s Rachel Scott asked him at the White House, as he signed an executive order urging pharmaceutical companies to reduce prices on key drugs.
“You’re ABC Fake News, right?” Trump asked. “Let me tell you, you should be embarrassed asking that question. They’re giving us a free jet. I could say, ‘No, no, no, don’t give us. I want to pay you a billion, or 400 million, or whatever it is.’ Or I could say thank you very much, you know?”
Trump launched into an anecdote about legendary golfer Sam Snead and how he would always accept it if a competitor offered him a putt, which is known in the sport as a “gimme.”
TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET
“A lot of people are stupid,” Trump said. “They say, ‘No, no, I insist on putting it.’ And then they putt it and they miss it … When they give you a putt, you pick it up, and you walk to the next hole, and you say, ‘Thank you very much.’”
Scott followed up, “Respectfully sir, as a businessman, some people may look at this and say, ‘Have you ever been given a gift worth millions of dollars and then not received any – “
“It’s not a gift to me,” Trump said. “It’s a gift to the Department of Defense, and you should know better, because you’ve been embarrassed enough, and so has your network. Your network is a disaster. ABC is a disaster.”
Trump defended the U.S. preparing to accept the jumbo jet gift from Qatar’s royal family to serve as a temporary Air Force One as Boeing failed to roll out a new Air Force One fleet in a timely manner.
QATAR OFFERS TRUMP JUMBO JET TO SERVE AS AIR FORCE ONE
“We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” Trump said Monday. “You know, we have an Air Force One that’s 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it’s not even the same ballgame.”
Critics have said the move is unethical and illegal because it’s tantamount to taking a foreign bribe, but the White House has said there will be no quid pro quo with the Middle Eastern country and the donation is under legal review to ensure maximum transparency.
Trump confirmed Sunday evening on Truth Social that the Department of Defense would receive the 747 as a gift, while railing against Democrats as “world class losers” for criticizing the gift.
“So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane,” Trump wrote. “Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!! MAGA.”
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Trump also clashed with ABC’s Terry Moran during an Oval Office interview last month marking his first 100 days in office. At various points, the president belittled the reporter, saying he didn’t know who he was and calling a question “stupid.”
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
