Donald Trump has never been one to turn down a luxury gift, especially if it can be dressed up as patriotism. This week, he accepted a 13-year-old Boeing 747-8 from the Qatari royal family, a lavish jet known as a “flying palace.” The aircraft, which features bedrooms, bathrooms, and private offices, was supposedly gifted for use by the U.S. government before eventually being handed off to Trump’s presidential library.

Let’s be clear. This is not a government acquisition. It is a bribe with WiFi and gold-plated taps.

The plane in question was delivered in 2012 and has clocked just over 1,000 flight hours. It has been pampered, no doubt, but it is still a used aircraft being marketed as a diplomatic gift. If this were any other former president, or any other era, this act alone would ignite a constitutional firestorm. Instead, it’s just any normal day for the Trump regime.

At the heart of this is the Emoluments Clause, a provision in the U.S. Constitution that bars officials from accepting gifts or payments from foreign governments without congressional approval. The clause exists to prevent exactly this: foreign powers influencing American policy with expensive favors. But Trump has always treated laws like speed limits in Florida. Optional and only enforced if someone important dies.

Trump’s team insists the plane will serve a temporary government function before becoming part of the Trump Presidential Library Foundation. That argument hinges on an astonishing level of gullibility. If a foreign prince gives you a mansion and says it’s for the park service before you move in, it’s still a bribe. And everyone knows it.

Qatar, for its part, gets exactly what it wants: leverage. This is a state that already hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region and plays diplomatic footsie with both Washington and extremist-adjacent groups. Gifting Trump a luxury aircraft is an investment. In influence. In future arms deals. In policy wiggle room.

Some Republicans have criticized the move. Senators Rand Paul and Shelley Moore Capito expressed concern. Conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro and Laura Loomer have even spoken out. But it’s too little, too late. Their party’s ethical compass was shattered in 2016 and replaced with a Mar-a-Lago loyalty card.

What’s most revealing is the silence from the rest of the GOP. The same crowd that used to scream about Obama’s Dijon mustard or Biden’s bike falls now shrugs at a former president accepting a multimillion-dollar jet from a petrostate. Integrity has officially filed for bankruptcy.

This isn’t just about one plane. It’s about the continued erosion of accountability. Trump gets to play global kingmaker with borrowed jets and borrowed credibility, and no one stops him. The Constitution is clear. The ethics are clearer. But the politics? Filthy, cloudy, and apparently on sale to the highest bidder.

A 13-year-old plane gifted to a man with 13-year-old ethics is not diplomacy. It’s corruption. In broad daylight. At 30,000 feet.