Any donation to this government is always done in full compliance with the law,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.

Not every UAE resident has had the opportunity to travel with a US president, but Sharief Fahmy did. He was part of a team of mission directors on Air Force One in the 2000s during the George W Bush administration.

The White House Correspondents Association says it is disturbed that no reporters from either The Associated Press, Bloomberg or Reuters were allowed on Air Force One to cover President Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East on Monday.