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Donald Trump is coming under increasing pressure for accepting a $400m luxury plane from Qatar as several senior Republicans join the chorus of criticism.
Leading Democratic Chris Murphy on Sunday called it the “definition of corruption”, while even some of Trump’s close allies have been enraged, with some saying it was the opposite of Trump’s promise to drain the swamp and was “a stain on the administration”.
Trump lashed out at the critics on Saturday, claiming the gift was to the US and not for him personally. Murphy later told NBC that was not true.
Meanwhile, some lawyers are starting their own law firms and challenging the Trump administration’s effort to cut funding and punish civil servants as the president wages a broad attack on the justice department and major law firms.
Here are the key stories at a glance:
Trump’s acceptance of Qatar jet is ‘definition of corruption’, senator says
Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400m Boeing jet from Qatar is the “definition of corruption”, a top Democrat said on Sunday, as several senior Republicans joined in a bipartisan fusillade of criticism and concern over the luxury gift.
Chris Murphy, a Democratic senator for Connecticut, condemned the “flying grift” on NBC as he assailed the president’s trip to several Gulf states this week that included a stop in Qatar.
Rand Paul, a Republican US senator for Kentucky and chair of his chamber’s homeland security committee, told the ABC that the gift of the jet “at least gives the appearance of a conflict of interest”.
US lawyers set up own firms to fight Trump onslaught
As Trump wages a blunt attack on major law firms and the justice department, some lawyers are starting their own law firms and challenging the administration’s effort to cut funding and punish civil servants.
The decision to start the firms come as the judiciary has emerged as a major bulwark against the Trump administration. More than 200 lawsuits have been filed challenging various Trump administration policies and there have been more than 70 rulings blocking the administration from executing various policies.
Bessent says Walmart will ‘eat’ some tariffs after Trump demand
The US retail company Walmart will “eat some of the tariffs” in line with Trump’s demands, the president’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has insisted, claiming he received the assurance in a personal phone call with the company’s chief executive, Doug McMillon.
Walmart said last week it had no alternative to raising prices for consumers beginning later this month because it could not absorb the cost of the president’s tariffs on international trade. The statement provoked an angry response from Trump, who said on Saturday the company should “eat the tariffs and not charge valued customers anything”.
According to Bessent, speaking on Sunday to NBC’s Meet the Press, Walmart is now promising exactly that.
Fears Trump could target statisticians if data disappoints
A proposed rule change making it easier to fire civil servants deemed to be “intentionally subverting presidential directives” could pave the way for the White House to fire statisticians employed to produce objective data on the economy but whose figures prove politically inconvenient, experts warn.
With Trump under pressure to explain shrinking gross domestic product (GDP) figures amid economists’ warnings that tariffs could trigger a recession, the administration could use new employment rules to pressure workers into “cooking the books”.
Trump losing patience with Putin, says Finnish leader
Donald Trump is becoming impatient with Vladimir Putin, Finland’s president has said after a lengthy conversation with his US counterpart.
Alexander Stubb said Trump and Putin, who are scheduled to speak by phone on Monday, must not decide the fate of Ukraine over the head of its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Stubb said: “If we were to pull it together, we could say that Zelenskyy is patient and President Trump is starting to be impatient, but in the right direction, that is, towards Russia.”
What else happened today:
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Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office announced on Sunday, and he and his family are considering options for treatment. Donald Trump expressed concern on behalf of himself and first lady Melania Trump.
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US government debt may come under more pressure this week after the credit rating agency Moody’s stripped the US of its top-notch triple-A rating.
Catching up? Here’s what happened 17 May 2025.
