The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: Do Leftists Really Believe the Trump Family Wants Another Plane?

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

One of the most important reasons President Donald Trump won in 2024 was his very convincing case that the Biden family was corrupt.    The president should act swiftly and make certain to an already hostile media that Qatar’s gift, the ‘palace in the sky’, is in keeping with ethical standards, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words:”   “It would be very wise—because Trump is at a critial point in his administration where he cannot bleed anything—to have an informal ethics adviser, in my opinion. And just to reassure this predatory media—not that you have to cater them or not that you have to listen to them—but just someone in the administration, an ethics czar, that advises all of the Trump family and associates to make a firewall between them and presidential assistance.” 👉Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest videos by subscribing to The Daily Signal today. You’ll be notified every time a new piece of content drops: https://youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1…     👉If you can’t get enough of Victor Davis Hanson from The Daily Signal, subscribe to his official YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/victordavishanson7273…     👉He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com    The Daily Signal cannot continue to tell stories, like this one, without the support of our viewers: https://secured.dailysignal.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We'd love to talk. Business. There's this controversy about the 747 that Gutter gave to Donald Trump. Gutter has this huge 2013-747. It doesn't seem to want it. It's been on the market since 2020, and there were no takers. Donald Trump is going to have the Air Force take it. And there's a lot of backstory, subtext to it that haven't really pondered.

So what are we talking about? We're talking about getting kind of a white elephant airplane from guitar. It's very elaborate. What is Donald Trump going to do with it? after he leaves office, he says his foundation is going to have it. So there's only one ethical question, and that is if the Trump Foundation really wants it, they should just announce in advance that it will be a museum piece, and all of the controversy will be ended.

Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. There's this controversy about the 747 that Gutterer gave to Donald Trump continues. And there's a lot of backstories, subtext to it that we really haven't really pondered. The left says that it's unethical for the Trump Foundation to eventually get possession of it. But let's just break it down very quickly. Gutter has this huge 2013-747. It doesn't seem to want it. It's been on the market since 2020 and there were no takers.

It gave its twin to Turkey, free of charge. What I'm getting at is a 747 is an obsolete aircraft unless you're the United States and we have two, both of them nearly 40 years old, and we're trying to build two new ones that Boeing is retrofitting. But if you're gutter, the idea that you're going to use this kind of older plane and get mechanics and the fuel cost, it's not an economic viable plane. and they were trying to unload it to Turkey, which took it and to us. Donald Trump is going to have the Air Force take it. Here's the other thing that's important. Senator Mullen from Oklahoma has alleged that these negotiations about receiving the plane actually began during the Biden administration.

I don't know if that was true, but it would be logical because the two Boeing's that Donald Trump had authorized before he left office in 2021, were never really finished. Bowling sort of dragged on and on. The Biden administration didn't press them. And they may not be done until Donald Trump is out of office. So what are we talking about? We're talking about getting kind of a white elephant airplane from guitar. It's very elaborate. If we get it, we'll probably have to spend the same cost as the Boeing. It would have to be updated with suitable communications, suitable security apparatuses. and refueling capability. Maybe it would be another 500 million to a billion to get this. Will it be done before Donald Trump leaves office? I doubt it. So then it hinges on, well, what is Donald Trump going to do with it after he leaves office? He says his foundation is going to

have it. Remember when Reagan set up his library, his 747 that had been used subsequently by George George H.W. and George W. and Bill Clinton was given to the Reagan Library, and he didn't use it. It was defunct at that point, and it's there today as a museum piece. Does people really think that when Trump leaves office, this sort of white elephant 747 that looks like the interior of the Titanic is going to be flying the Trump family around when they already have a 757, this really expensive plane to maintain? and to fuel, and it may or may not be retrofitted in time. So there's only one ethical question, and that is if the Trump Foundation really wants it, I don't think it will be economically viable to use, but they should just announce in advance that it will be a museum piece, and all of the controversy will be ended. I'd like to end, though, in another aspect.

The left is really pressing the Trump family on conflict of interest. the cryptocurrency companies that they're involved with, Jared Kushner's dealings with some of the Gulf monarchies, the Trump Associates Foundation, excuse me, not Foundation, but the Trump companies, cutting deals in the Middle East with golf courses, hotels, etc. It would be very wise because Trump is at a critical point in his administration where he cannot bleed anything to, have an informal ethics advisor, in my opinion, and just to reassure this predatory media, not that you have to cater them or not do you have to listen to them, but just someone in the administration and ethics czar that advises all of the Trump family and associate to make a

firewall between them and presidential assistance. And this is especially important because one of the reasons that Donald Trump was elected, he made a very convincing case that the Biden consortium was absolutely corrupt. The Burisma money to Hunter, the laptop text that incriminated the entire family, the bogus checks that said loan repayment, the inexplicable three homes of Joe Biden, the 35 million that came from places as diverse as Ukraine, Romania, and China. Given all that and how it hurt Biden, it would be wise for Donald Trump to make sure that the plane, which, again, as a white elephant, stays as a museum piece in his foundation when it's turned over from the U.S. Air Force, if that's going to happen to the Trump Foundation. And secondly, have someone in the White House just advise everybody that if they're going to do business,

that it has to be separate from and distinct from the foreign policy initiatives of the administration. This is Victor Davis Hansen for The Daily Signal. Thank you for tuning in to The Daily Signal. Please like, share, and subscribe to be notified for more content like this. You can also check out my own website at victorhansen.com and subscribe for exclusive features in addition.