President Donald Trump angrily brushed off ethical concerns about accepting a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar to be used as a new Air Force One, saying only someone “stupid” would turn down such an offer.

Trump said that the gift from Qatar will be to the U.S. Department of Defense — and not him personally — and he said he would not use it after he left office. The plane is to be decommissioned from military use and then turned over to his eventual presidential library, Trump said.

“I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar. I appreciate it very much,” Trump said. “I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer. I mean, I could be a stupid person say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’ But it was — I thought it was a great gesture.”

Qatari officials say the plan for Trump to accept the plane for use while he is in office is not finalized. Some senior U.S. officials, however, have said that the White House counsel and the attorney general, Pam Bondi, have already signed off. Bondi has previously worked as a lobbyist, with Qatar as one of her clients.

In 2017, Trump called Qatar a sponsor of terrorism and voiced support for a Saudi-led regional economic and diplomatic blockade of the nation, an important military outpost for the United States in the Middle East. That blockade ended just as Trump left office in January 2021.

On Monday, Trump grew angry at the questions of an ethical quagmire, including whether Qatar expected anything in exchange for the donation of the jetliner. Democrats and government watchdogs have suggested the donation would violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution prohibiting gifts from foreign governments to public office holders and create an incentive structure for Trump regarding Qatar. As it is, Trump’s private company has several projects in the region, including a planned golf course in Qatar.

“You should be embarrassed asking that question,” Trump told an ABC News reporter who pressed him on the issue. “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.’”

Trump has repeatedly complained of delays and cost overruns in a contract with Boeing for two new presidential jets, and he did so again Monday.

He also said the United States gives “free things” as well. He added: “I think it was a gesture because of the fact that we help” to protect Qatar and some of its neighbors in the Middle East.

“If it wasn’t for us,” Trump said, “they probably wouldn’t exist right now.”