Donald Trump on Tuesday demanded that the government cancel a deal with Boeing for two new Air Force One jets because, he claimed, it’s too expensive.
“Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!” he wrote on Twitter.
He later elaborated at Trump Tower, suggesting the aeronautics firm was “doing a little bit of a number” to pad its bottom line.
“The plane is totally out of control. It’s going to be over $4 billion for the Air Force One program, and I think it’s ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money,” he said.
A March 2016 report from the Government Accountability Office estimated the overall cost of the replacement program at $3.21 billion, including the purchase of two planes.
But the GAO estimated the costs for research and development would be lower, at just under $2 billion, while the Air Force said R&D costs would be closer to $2.8 billion. If the GAO report used the same Air Force estimate for R&D, its estimate would be around the $4 billion Trump cited.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the two new Air Force Ones cost so much because the jets require state-of-the-art security as well as defense and communication systems. “It really is, in many ways, a flying White House, in terms of the security. There’s [electronic] countermeasures built in, communications, very high- level communications, security of all types. So it is a bit more complicated than perhaps meets the eye,” James told Politico.
Boeing offered a muted response on it’s Web site.
“We look forward to working with the US Air Force on subsequent phases of the program, allowing us to deliver the best planes for the president at the best value for the American taxpayer,” it read.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg — a staunch free-trade advocate — has cast a wary eye on the billionaire’s possible trade policies.
The company sells hundreds of jets to China, a nation Trump has threatened to punish with steep tariffs.
“Anyone who paid attention to the recent campaign and the election results realizes that one of the overarching themes was apprehension about free and fair trade,” Muilinburg told the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association last week in comments that may caused a backlash from Trump.
The Chicago Tribune reported the comments Tuesday morning on its Web site just 22 minutes before Trump went after Boeing.
Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington where the jets will be built, tweaked Trump and praised Boeing workers, whose jobs would be at risk if the contract were canceled.
“I hope the president-elect takes the time to talk to the Pentagon and the Air Force and Boeing about how defense contracts work before he tweets,” she said.