Trump’s Receipt of Lavish Foreign Gifts Raises Constitutional Alarms, Experts Warn

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

Ethics experts and former White House officials are raising serious concerns over President Donald Trump’s acceptance of foreign gifts and financial deals, warning that his administration’s “pay-for-access” approach to diplomacy is unprecedented and could violate the U.S. Constitution.

During Trump’s recent high-profile trip to the Gulf, the president secured what he claimed were multi-trillion-dollar investment commitments. He also praised a controversial \$400 million Boeing 747-8 jet, offered by Qatar to the U.S. Department of Defense, calling it a “great gesture” and suggesting it could serve as Air Force One and later be used by his presidential library.

However, ethics watchdogs and legal analysts argue that such arrangements pose severe risks to U.S. national security and breach constitutional norms.

“This is not just business as usual. It’s a direct threat to the impartiality of American foreign policy,” said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush. “Foreign governments should never be in a position to influence U.S. negotiations with gifts or money.”

Norm Eisen, former U.S. ambassador and Obama administration ethics czar, was blunt: “Trump has effectively put a for-sale sign on the White House. Gulf countries are bidding for influence — one offers a luxury jet, another \$2 billion in crypto deals.”

According to multiple reports, Trump’s personal wealth has ballooned by over \$3 billion since returning to office, with new Trump-branded real estate projects and cryptocurrency ventures tied to Gulf investments. Critics say this raises red flags about the potential for quid pro quo foreign policy.

On Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers are pushing for legislation to block what they describe as unconstitutional enrichment. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) called the Qatar jet “a flying palace” and slammed Trump for “placing personal luxury above national security.”

Even staunch Trump supporters such as Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer voiced concerns over the optics and legality of the \$400 million plane offer. Meanwhile, legal scholars remain divided over whether such gifts, technically routed to U.S. agencies, still fall afoul of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.

Experts point to a deeper trend. Gulf states like the UAE and Qatar have also offered multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency investments into Trump-linked ventures, including a controversial meme coin. One China-connected firm with no revenue reportedly purchased \$300 million of the coin this week alone, raising fears of covert foreign influence in U.S. politics.

“This kind of shadow funding — through crypto or overseas shell companies — bypasses traditional oversight mechanisms,” said a senior European diplomat. “It’s very hard to track and extremely dangerous.”

Veteran protocol officials said the Trump administration has disregarded the standard practices that once protected U.S. diplomacy from conflicts of interest. “The rules may seem small, but they matter,” said Rufus Gifford, former State Department chief of protocol. “They separate good governance from corruption.”

Critics fear that Trump’s blending of business interests with public office could set a dangerous precedent. “It’s deeply disturbing,” Gifford added. “No president should ever profit from the office they hold. But that’s exactly what appears to be happening.”

With the Trump administration now prioritizing Gulf allies over traditional partners and downplaying human rights in favor of lucrative deals, watchdog groups and lawmakers are preparing a legal and legislative counteroffensive.