Trump Citation X Sold To Company Tied To Republican Campaign Donor

Multiple news outlets are reporting that former President Donald Trump has sold his 1997 Cessna Citation X. The buyer is a company associated with Mehrdad Moayedi, an Iranian-American real estate developer based in Dallas. Federal Election Committee records reveal that Moayedi has contributed close to $250,000 to Trump’s reelection campaigns in 2019 and 2020, as well as donating “millions” over time to other Republican candidates and the Republican National Committee.

The price paid for the Citation is not clear, as figures in published reports range from as little as $2.5 million to as much as $10 million. The online Hangar 67 Price Report on the Citation X, updated less than two weeks ago, indicates a range from $3.995 million to $4.995 million for four aircraft ranging from 1999 to 2009 models, with total times averaging 6,700 hours. The Trump Citation X is a 1997 model reportedly with more than 11,000 hours’ total time. Another 1997 Citation X with similar total time is listed with “contact seller” as the only pricing information.

In April 2016, the Citation was temporarily grounded when its FAA registration expired. According to The New York Times, Trump was able to unravel the red tape to get the airplane flying again for his presidential campaign by selling it to his newly-formed Delaware-based limited liability corporation (LLC) known as DT Endeavor I.