Trump triggers his critics with controversial decision on $400M Qatar private plane: Live updates

The Trump administration announced it formally accepted a $400 million plane from Qatar setting off a firestorm of backlash.

Leaders on both sides of the aisle have criticized the president over the supposed gift – urging him to be wary of accepting a ‘bribe.’

Afterward, it would be donated to his presidential library.

But top Democats, including Jamie Raskin, are unconvinced.

Raskin introduced a bill earlier this week to try and block Trump from accepting the plane.

He called it ‘unconstitutional’ for a foreign present of ‘any kind’ to be accepted by the administration.

Senator Brian Schatz called the move ‘shockingly corrupt.’

Meanwhile, the Pentagon chief spokesman pushed back in a statement:

‘The secretary of defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.’

‘The Department of Defense will work to ensure proper security measures and functional-mission requirements are considered for an aircraft used to transport the president of the United States,’ he added.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at the White House

President Donald Trump celebrated the Florida Gators’ NCAA basketball championship win at the White House on Wednesday – and commended the players for being taller than son Barron.

You know I have a son who’s 6 foot 9, but 6 foot 9 is not – I now see, he always says, “Dad, I’m not that tall compared to some of these guys.” And now, I understand what he’s talking about.

Besides coach Todd Golden and the players – who presented Trump with a signed basketball and a ’47’ jersey – the president also invited former NFL player – who played for the University of Florida in college – Tim Tebow to the stage.

Most of Florida’s congressional delegation was also on hand, as was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who Trump accidentally dubbed ‘senator,’ Rubio’s previous post. Attorney General Pam Bondi also attended.

‘Oh boy, oh boy, these are great looking guys,’ the president told the players. ‘These are the tallest human beings I’ve ever seen.’

The last time Jill Biden dealt with one of her loved ones receiving a cancer diagnosis, she spiraled into a depression, lost her faith in God and became rail thin as she coped with the stress.

Now, as former President Joe Biden, 82, deals with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, there are worries about how his wife of 47 years is handling the strain.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at the White House

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gave a generous assessment of his meeting with President Donald Trump as he departed the West Wing Wednesday afternoon.

‘Very well,’ he told reporters.

When asked if he thought Trump ‘heard’ him, Ramaphosa reiterated the positive review.

‘Yes he did, it went very well,’ Ramaphosa said.

Trump rolled footage that he claimed showed an ongoing ‘white genocide’ happening in Ramaphosa’s country and showed clips of news articles showcasing white strife in one of the most preposterous Oval Office moments since his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late February.

Billionaire native South African Elon Musk joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday as the president confronted South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on the issue of the deaths of white farmers.

The issue is important to Musk who has made a point of raising it on social media with claims of White genocide.

Photos of Musk staring intently at Ramaphosa as he denied that the deaths of white farmers went viral on social media.

‘I KID YOU NOT, Elon Musk is literally staring at the South African President like he wants to fight him,’ wrote one observer who posted video of Musk.

Musk did not speak on the issue, but was standing in the room during the exchange.

Trump acknowledged Musk’s presence in the Oval Office.

‘Elon is from South Africa. I don’t want to get Elon involved. That’s all I have to do, get him into another thing.’

‘This is what Elon wanted. He came here on a different subject, sending rockets to Mars, he likes that subject better.’

President Donald Trump put on a stunning shaming in the Oval Office Wednesday, showing clips to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that purported to show evidence of a ‘white genocide’ in his country.

Ramaphosa came to the White House Wednesday hoping to improve South Africa’s relationship with the Trump administration. Trump had previously canceled aid to the country, expelled the South African ambassador and offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners.

Trump has claimed that there’s a race-based ‘genocide’ unfolding in the African nation, with South African-born DOGE leader Elon Musk agreeing.

Musk stood amongst the reporters in the Oval Office when the dramatic showdown went down.

President Donald Trump held up a printout of a Daily Mail report on why white Africans are fleeing the country.

The file details how 25,000 white farmers have left South Africa to go to the United States.

They have been accused of endemic racism by favoring the majority black population against people with European ancestry.

Some will never return to the ‘Rainbow Nation’, which is racked by rising numbers of murders and rapes, making it one of the most dangerous places in the world for anyone, of any skin color, to live, the report states.

Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a White House Oval Office meeting about the ongoing genocide and also showed him a video of ‘mass graves.’

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at the White House

President Donald Trump took a swipe at NBC News when asked by the network’s Peter Alexander why the U.S. will welcome white South Africans but not Afghan and Venezuelan refugees.

‘Well, this is a group, NBC, that is truly fake news,’ Trump replied, seated alongside South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

Trump continued, ‘We’ve had tremendous complaints about Africa, about other countries too, from people.’

‘They say, there’s a lot of bad things going on in Africa and that’s what we’re going to be discussing today,’ the U.S. president continued.

By Nikki Schwab, Chief Campaign Correspondent at the White House

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived at the White House Wednesday at little past nooon for his meeting with President Donald Trump.

Trump stood outside the West Wing to greet Ramaphosa, who has come to try and turn around the relationship with the current administration.

South African-born billionaire and DOGE leader Elon Musk has criticized Ramaphosa’s administration for pursuing anti-white policies.

In turn, Trump has canceled aid to the country, expelled the South African ambassador and offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners.

Ramaphosa hopes to be able to turn things around by offering Trump a trade deal and investment opportunities, Reuters reported.

Online critics are lambasting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for flubbing the definition of the Latin legal term ‘Habeas Corpus’ at a congressional hearing on Tuesday.

Even worse, however, is that the DHS head provided a completely inaccurate definition for the phrase.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Migrants deported to South Sudan by Donald Trump include murderers and sexual abusers, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The latest deportations come as a federal judge ruled U.S. officials must retain custody and control of the migrants in case he orders in the future that their removals were unlawful.

The Daily Mail can now reveal that the migrants sent to East African country include at least five murderers and a pedophile.

Only one is a citizen of South Sudan, while the others are from Cuba, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

Elon Musk will attend President Donald Trump’s Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Musk, who was born in South Africa, is a critic of Ramaphosa’s government and spread conspiracy theories that the country is conducting a ‘genocide’ against white farmers and has ‘racist land laws.’

Ramaphosa has denied he’s pursing anti-white policies.

Also attending the meeting will be Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law Massad Boulos, who serves as the president’s senior advisor for Africa.

Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are also scheduled to attend.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Congressman Gerry Connolly died at the age of 75 on Wednesday morning.

The Virginia Democrat ‘passed away peacefully at his home,’ according to a  statement from his family.

Rep. Connolly announced he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer just days after the 2024 election in November.

‘The sun is setting on my time in public service,’ he said in a statement in April when revealing his cancer had returned.

By Emily Goodin, senior White House correspondent

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet with President Donald Trump later Wednesday at a time the president’s MAGA supporters are fixated on South Africa’s racial politics.

Trump, during the sitdown in the Oval Office, will press Ramaphosa to roll back his country’s racial equity laws and to do more to protect Afrikaners, a white ethnic minority, the New York Times reported.

The president has taken aggressive action against South Africa, including cutting all foreign aid, expelling its ambassador, calling for the upcoming G20 meeting to be moved from there to another country, and welcoming white South Africans to the U.S. as refugees.

The U.S. is South Africa’s second biggest trading partner after China. Ramaphosa will offer Trump a trade deal and also will discuss opportunities for Tesla and Starlink, companies owned by Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and has accused Ramaphosa of pursuing anti-white policies.

President Donald Trump has issued an astonishing defense of Joe Biden, claiming a shadowy network of advisors took advantage of the 82-year-old’s cognitive decline in the White House and wreaked havoc on the country.

Trump campaigned with a tough-on-borders approach, vowing to embark on the largest mass deportation scheme the United States has ever seen and slamming the Democrats for opening the flood-gates during their time in office.

He has consistently targeted Biden for his lack of action while in the Oval Office.

According to a new Marquette Law School poll, Trump is underwater on several major issues.

He is excelling in one particular area – the border – with a 12-point jump in his favor.

But he’s struggling on the economy, foreign policy and world conflicts including the Russia-Ukraine war.

He’s at overall approval rating of 46 percent, according to the Marquette survey.

That’s four points behind Daily Mail/JL Partner’s exclusive poll finding the president at 50 percent approval coming off his big Middle East trip.

Another recent poll out by Reuters has him at his lowest-ever approval at 42 percent.