Rep. Lawler says no Qatari endowments for universities. What about a Qatari 747 luxury aircraft for Trump?
Endowing chairs for $4 million each vs. a new presidential airplane for $400 million.
President Trump’s wish for the United States to accept a luxury aircraft as a gift from Qatar was near the top of the news early this week. What has Rep. Lawler said about it?
This is a distraction from the most important, recent developments, but it relates to something that Lawler stressed in his two town hall meetings when he responded to questions about withholding federal research funds from universities. He complained that China and Qatar are endowing chairs at American universities to exert control over their curricula. Lawler objects to Qatari influence because the country funded Hamas and is the host for Hamas political leaders.
How much does it cost to endow a chair at a university? Lawler did not say, but “Buy Me a Chair, the wacky world of university endowments” provides numbers from UCLA and Duke.1 Costs for the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Pennsylvania are online, too.2 A contribution of $3 million to $5 million is required to endow a senior, full, or distinguished professorship at these schools.
The funding sources for university chairs are typically known because they are usually named after the donor who made the endowment. The donor's gift agreement often dictates how the position should be named.
Beyond endowed chairs that Lawler did not specifically identify, Qatar has given billions of dollars to American universities. From 2001 to 2021 Qatar gave $4.7 billion, making it the largest foreign financial donor. A considerable portion of foreign gifts was unreported. This violates U.S. legal requirements and raises concerns about potential, undisclosed motives. Some prominent American universities, including Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon, received funding from Qatar to establish branch campuses in their Education City in Doha.3
Qatar’s campaign to build goodwill in the United States goes back to a $100 million gift for recovery following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.4 Qatar gave considerable financial support to Xavier University and Tulane University in New Orleans. 5
Federal disclosure data show that since 2001 colleges and universities accepted $6.25 billion from Qatar, a major exporter of Islamist ideology.6 Qatar’s total spending likely exceeds that amount because academic institutions routinely fail to comply with disclosure requirements, and there is lax enforcement. The first Trump administration discovered $6.5 billion of undisclosed foreign funds, including from China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Russia.7
“Foreign donors have given as much to U.S. universities in the last four years as they did in the previous 40, according to a new report by the Network Contagion Research Institute shared exclusively with The Free Press. The study shows an explosion in overseas funding for American schools between 2021 and 2024, with nearly $29 billion in foreign money donated during that period. Qatar and China are among the largest sources of funding. That $29 billion figure is more than double the total for the preceding four years, and accounts for half of the estimated $57.97 billion in foreign funding since 1986, when the federal government began tracking the data.”8
Qatar has made 1,143 donations to 63 American universities. The U.S. Department of Education (DoE) database shows only 101 (9%) disclose the use of this money. There was hope that the Trump administration would demand transparency and accountability. On April 23 Trump issued an executive order “Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities.”9
“But what chance is there of that now that we know Trump is prepared to accept a $400 million airplane from the emirate that is seen by many as a bribe?”10
April 27, 2025 Town Hall, West Nyack, NY
“I would also say the flow of foreign dollars into our universities and institutions from countries like Qatar and China needs to be cracked down on, because they are using those dollars to exert control over what is being taught in these institutions. By endowing a chair; they are endowing a chair.
[Audience jeers and boos]
“I find it fascinating that you guys support this. It really is interesting. So they are using federal dollars to actually endow chairs and teach certain curricula that undermines the United States and the free world. And that's fascinating that you support that.
[Audience jeers and boos]
“So I have no problem with the administration withholding federal dollars, taxpayer money, to universities like Harvard and Columbia that have allowed antisemitism to run wild on their campuses.”
[Audience jeers and boos]
Note: “They are using federal dollars to actually endow chairs” is incorrect. Federal grants are awarded for specific purposes and cannot contribute to endowments.
May 4, 2025 Town Hall, Somers, NY
“And the fact is—and the fact is, when you look—when you look at these college campuses—you have a number of issues. You have foreign dollars flowing in from countries like Qatar and China, that are intended to manipulate and control what is taught in these schools. They’re endowing chairs. They’re endowing chairs—
[Audience jeers and boos]
“I guess you guys don’t understand how, how an endowed chair works. But they endow the chair with the funding for the purpose of actually controlling what is, what is taught.
“But that being said, my view is that the flow of foreign dollars into our educational institutions needs to be overhauled. The issue of, the issue of federal dollars going to these institutions—if they’re not upholding federal law and enforcing anti-discrimination laws—they should be held accountable.”
May 11, 2025 - Washington, DC
On Sunday evening, May 11, in a post on social media, President Trump confirmed the news that he anticipates receiving a 747-8 aircraft from the Qatari royal family.
“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,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!”
“The Trump administration plans to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 plane as a donation from the Qatari royal family that will be upgraded to serve as Air Force One, which would make it one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government…”11
The plane would be donated to President Trump’s presidential museum when he leaves office. This presents the possibility that Trump could use the plane for personal business.
In February The New York Times reported that Trump toured the Qatari-owned 747-8 while it was at Palm Beach International Airport. The plane is just over a decade old.12
“The administration’s plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet from the Qatari royal family is only the latest example of an increasingly no-holds-barred atmosphere in Washington under Trump 2.0. Not only would the famously transactional chief executive be able to use the plane while in office, but he is also expected to transfer it to his presidential foundation once he leaves the White House.”13
Attorney General Pam Bondi signed a Justice Department memo approving the plan as lawful. She was formerly a highly paid lobbyist for Qatar.
Boeing is building a new generation of presidential aircraft, but the program is behind schedule. Trump wants to use the Qatari plane as Air Force One until the end of his presidency. The Pentagon would then transfer it to his museum foundation. (He called it his “library,” but presidential libraries are research facilities run by the National Archives. They often adjoin museums run by private foundations that are dedicated to former presidents.)
Mr. Trump compared that plan to one by Ronald Reagan’s museum in Simi Valley, Calif., where a presidential Boeing 707 is now a star attraction. But that plane was at the end of its life span — it had been used as Air Force One from 1973 to 2001 before being decommissioned. It also remains the property of the Air Force and is merely on permanent loan.
The Qatari plane will still be relatively new in 2029, raising the question of whether Mr. Trump’s museum foundation, run by his allies, would allow Mr. Trump to keep using the plane after he leaves office. On Monday, Mr. Trump denied that this was his intent. Even parking the aircraft at his museum would contribute to glorifying him.
Most of the discussion about accepting the Qatari aircraft is about the high cost of reconfiguring it to serve as Air Force 1. The precise history of the plane is unknown, so security risks would have to be thoroughly evaluated. It would not benefit the U.S. government to extensively modify the aircraft and then decommission it in a few years.
Much less concern has been shown about the United States accepting a $400 million gift from Qatar for Trump’s exclusive use.
“Then there is the open question of what, if anything, Qatar is getting in return. We don’t know, but we do know that the Trump Organization and the Trump family are actively doing business in Qatar and hope to do more. In business, gifts often have the purpose of influencing behavior. In many cases, influencing can cross the line into bribery.”14
Lawler seems to be more worried about Qatar influencing university students than influencing the president of the United States.
Lawler’s Reaction
On May 13 Lawler appeared on Fox Business Mornings with Maria.15
Maria Bartiromo:
Look, let’s face it, Hamas is based in Qatar. OK. How do they explain that away? Hamas is based in Qatar. What about this plane? What are your thoughts on this jumbo jet that the Qataris want to give President Trump?
Mike Lawler:
Well, I’m still seeking to get more clarity and information on it. I think, obviously, from the president’s standpoint, you know, he wants to be able to have a plane that meets the needs of him and his administration. But obviously, we don’t want to be straight up accepting any type of gift from any foreign government, certainly not, you know, one that can be viewed in a way that obviously has been presented here. So a lot more information that I think needs to come out on it.
Maria Bartiromo:
Congressman, thank you so much. Good to see you.
Systematic Hatreds, August 15, 2023, Buy Me a Chair, The wacky world of university endowments.
The University of Texas at Dallas, Endowed Chairs and Professorships.
University of Pennsylvania, Funding Priority: Faculty
MSMBC, May 16, 2025, Why Qatar’s willing to pay for the United States’ friendship.
NBC News, May 2, 2006, Qatar decides on $60 million for Katrina relief.
Tulane University, April 30, 2008, Students, Healthcare Leaders Thank Amir of Qatar.
New Orleans Magazine, December 10, 2010, With a little help from Qatar.
Foundation for Defense of Democracies, April 2, 2025, Qatar’s Footprint in the American Higher Education System.
U.S. Department of Education, October 2020, Institutional Compliance with Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
The Free Press, April 27, 2025, Qatar and China Are Pouring Billions Into Elite American Universities.
The White House, April 23, 2025, Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities.
JNS, May 14, 2025, Universities are selling out to Qatar, and selling off their integrity
The New York Times, May 11, 2025, Trump Is Poised to Accept a Luxury 747 From Qatar for Use as Air Force One
The New York Times, February 19, 2025, A Frustrated Trump Wants His New Air Force One Planes Pronto
The New York Times, May 12, 2025, Trump’s Plan to Take Jet From Qatar Heightens Corruption Concerns.
Defense News, May 16, 2025, What’s wrong with Trump accepting a 747 from Qatar? Everything..
Fox Business, May 13, 2025, Mornings with Maria.