WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Saudi Arabia gifted Bill Clinton a $17 million helicopter.
OUR VERDICT
False. The claim originates from a satire account.
AAP FACTCHECK - Former US president Bill Clinton did not accept a helicopter from Saudi Arabia, despite online claims.
The claim originates from a post published by a self-described "satire" account.
It's being shared online after the US Democrats introduced a Senate bill to prevent foreign aircraft from operating as Air Force One in response to Qatar offering to gift President Donald Trump a luxury plane.
Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said giving Trump a 747-8 airliner jet worth $US400 million ($A620 million) was "a normal thing that happens between allies".
Social media posts have responded to the criticism of the president's plan to accept Qatar's gift by pointing to a gift supposedly accepted by one of his Democratic predecessors.
"This is the $17 million helicopter the Saudis gave Bill Clinton to use in their airspace," a Threads post claims on May 18, 2025.
"They gave it to him as a parting gift when he left office. He still uses it to this day.
"Not one single Democrat had anything to say."
A graphic in the post features two photos, including one of Mr Clinton waving in front of a helicopter.
However, the graphic originates from a self-described satirical Facebook page called America's Last Line of Defence.
The acronym ALLOD and the word "SATIRE" are visible in the bottom left corner.
The Facebook page intro field says: "The flagship of the ALLOD network of trolley and propaganda for cash. Nothing on this page is real."
The claim has been repeated by social media users without the satire disclaimer.
"The Saudi's gave Bill Clinton a 17 million dollar helicopter he still uses it to this day not one democrat saw a problem with the gift," one Facebook post states.
A reverse image search reveals the photos in the graphic are from a gallery on the website of South Bay Helicopter Services, a charter company based in California.
The main image depicts its N621SC chopper landing on a roof, while the smaller picture shows Bill Clinton boarding a charter flight.
AAP FactCheck was unable to find any credible reports that Saudi Arabia gave Clinton a helicopter when he left office.
However, the former president's Clinton Foundation has received Saudi donations totalling between $US10 and $25 million, the New York Times reported.
AAP FactCheck previously debunked a claim based on an ALLOD post about royalty payments and former president Barack Obama.
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