President Donald Trump 's readiness to accept a luxury jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar for conversion into a presidential aircraft has revived the conversations around emoluments and the notion of a president otherwise allegedly profiting off of the office.
"I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer," he told reporters on Monday, after being asked if Qatar was getting anything in return for the plane. "I could be a stupid person and say, 'no, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'"
But there are constitutional prohibitions against the president receiving gifts from foreign entities or even domestic ones. It's a conversation over emoluments, territory that Trump has been forced to navigate, and litigate, in the past.
What is an emolument?
Simply, an emolument is compensation for services, from employment or holding office, that can take the form of a salary, fee or profit.