The future of President Donald Trump's controversial Qatari-donated jet is once again uncertain, according to NBC News, as the president appears to have altered his plans for the aircraft yet another time.

The controversy began last year when the Trump administration announced it would accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 from the government of Qatar as a gift, to be retrofitted as the new Air Force One. The arrangement drew sharp criticism over potential corruption and abuse of privilege, particularly because Trump intended to retain the aircraft personally after leaving office. Legal experts and ethics watchdogs have pointed to the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign governments without congressional consent, as a central constitutional concern underlying the arrangement.

In an effort to mitigate those concerns, Trump had stated that the Qatari jet would ultimately be displayed at his planned presidential library in Miami. However, his son Eric Trump has now told NBC News that this plan is no longer active.

"The plan seemed as clear-cut as it was unorthodox: After he leaves office, President Donald Trump said, the Qatari-gifted plane that he has used as Air Force One will be displayed at his new presidential library," NBC News reported on Wednesday. "But that idea appears to have been scrapped. The president's son Eric Trump told NBC News in a text message Tuesday that the plane that Qatar donated to the Defense Department last year for presidential travel isn't the one that will go to the library complex in Miami once Trump leaves office."

"No. That's not the plan at the moment for Miami," Eric Trump confirmed in the text exchange.

Eric Trump had previously informed the Palm Beach Post that an older, decommissioned Air Force One would be displayed at the presidential library instead. He is involved in the planning of the library complex, which reports indicate will resemble a luxury hotel and spa more than a traditional presidential library. That would mark a departure from the model established under the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955, under which such facilities are built with private funds but then operated and maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration. When pressed by NBC News, Eric Trump cited other presidential libraries as precedents but did not address the contradiction with his father's earlier statements.

"Many of the presidential libraries have retired AF1's (Reagan)," he texted.

The report raised further questions about the ultimate destination of Qatar's $400 million aircraft, sometimes described as a "flying palace": "If an older, decommissioned plane goes to Trump's library complex, that raises a fresh question about the fate and future home of Qatar's $400 million 'flying palace.' Will it remain part of the Air Force fleet once Trump leaves office in 2029, or does he have other ideas for an aircraft that he worked to procure?"

The uncertainty adds to years of delays in the Air Force One replacement program. Boeing, which holds the contract to deliver two new presidential aircraft based on the 747-8 platform, has faced repeated schedule setbacks, and the Qatari gift was positioned by the administration as a stopgap measure to address those shortfalls.

The White House declined to answer NBC News' specific questions, instead issuing a generic statement praising Trump's leadership.

Norm Eisen, who served as White House ethics adviser under President Barack Obama, was emphatic in his criticism of accepting such a gift from Qatar.

"I wouldn't have even allowed the president to take a snack on Qatari Force One," Eisen said in an interview. "I would not have allowed him to take home a bag of Qatari pretzels! I wouldn't even have allowed him to take a Qatari eye mask and earplugs, much less an entire plane!"