President Donald Trump boarded a $400 million Boeing Co. 747 jet gifted by Qatar on Wednesday, traveling to North Dakota for the aircraft's maiden trip. The use of the luxury aircraft has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who question the expenditure and propriety of utilizing a foreign-donated asset while domestic affordability issues persist.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) condemned the President's actions on social media platform X, contrasting the flight with the failure to sign a bipartisan housing bill. She criticized Trump for taking a "joy ride" in the taxpayer-renovated Qatari jet instead of addressing housing affordability. The White House had previously stated the new jet was appropriate for a President and hailed Qatar as a key Middle East ally.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) joined the criticism, with his Press Office referring to the aircraft as "Air Fraud One" in a post quoting White House Communications Director Steven Cheung. Newsom had previously labeled the jet a "flying palace" amid rising gas and grocery prices. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also accused the President of using taxpayer-funded resources to support luxury projects.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) expanded the scrutiny to Trump's broader financial dealings with Middle Eastern allies. Sanders noted the $400 million Qatari plane, $187 million from the UAE for a crypto firm, and billions in real estate deals with the Saudi royal family. He questioned whether these transactions align with an "America First" policy.

Separately, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration announced plans to permit civilian supersonic flights over the continental U.S. The agencies are establishing noise-based certification standards for takeoff and landing to facilitate the return of supersonic travel.

Trump made pointed remarks on two distinct geopolitical fronts, asserting that Cuba is moving in the direction of the United States after many decades, while also directing criticism toward Spain over its role within the NATO alliance.

Trump on Cuba

Addressing the situation with Cuba, Trump stated that the country is coming the United States' way after many decades. No further details regarding the context or circumstances of this development were provided in the source statement.

Trump on Spain and NATO

In a separate remark, Trump turned his attention to Spain, stating that the country "will learn." He further characterised the Spanish as not being very good NATO members, signalling dissatisfaction with Spain's contribution or conduct within the alliance.