Trump books Qatari jet for Ireland trip, sources confirm official travel plans

There used to be a thing called the emoluments clause, but that must have been retroactively downgraded to a suggestion, because here we are: the former president reportedly taking a ride in Qatari Air Force One for his next trip to Ireland. First it lands as a rumor (sources say), then the wire firms it up: the arrangement's set, the plane is Qatari government property, and the itinerary is official business overseas. There isn't a line in the story about what Qatari officials get in exchange, or who foots the bill, but for most of us, the fact that the question even exists would be enough to keep us out of public service. Not here. No one's pretending this is normal — they're just doing it anyway. The receipts don't call it a gift; they call it an 'arrangement.' You, me, anyone not in that club, we buy our own tickets, or we sit in the back and hope not to get flagged. The only thing that flies higher than the jet is the standard for what counts as a conflict of interest. If you want to see what power looks like, it's TSA waving you through while the pilot files a foreign flight plan, and nobody asks what the return fare is. The rest of us get the bill, or the pat-down, or the fine print. They get the tarmac.