United States’ President-elect, Donald Trump, has urged the government on to cancel an order with Boeing Co to develop a revamped Air Force One, saying costs were out of control.
His opinion on the contract, considered a bombshell, was the latest example of how Trump is using his podium, often via brief Twitter messages, to rattle companies and foreign countries as he seeks to shake up business as usual in Washington.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, took aim at what he called cost overruns even though the plane is only in development stages.
“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!” Trump said on Twitter. It was not immediately clear what prompted the timing of his complaint.
Trump, who stressed during his election campaign that he would use his skills as a businessman to make good deals that benefit American taxpayers, then made a surprise appearance in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, where he amplified his comments.
“The plane is totally out of control. 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 told reporters.
Boeing has not yet begun building the two replacements for the current Air Force One planes, which are scheduled to be in service by the 2024 fiscal year, and it was not clear what Trump’s source of information was for the cost.
Reuters says the budgeted costs for the Air Force One replacement program are $2.87 billion for the fiscal years 2015 through 2021, according to budget documents.
A March 2016 report from the Government Accountability Office, a watchdog agency, estimated the total cost of the two 747’s, which have to be extensively modified so they can function as an airborne White House, was estimated at $3.2 billion.
Boeing has not yet been awarded the money to build the proposed replacements, and is currently working on engineering and designing the aircraft.
“We are currently under contract for $170 million to help determine the capabilities of these complex military aircraft that serve the unique requirements of the President of the United States,” the company said in a statement.
“We look forward to working with the U.S. 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.”
Some of the statistics cited by Trump about the plane did not appear to reflect arrangements between Boeing and the Department of Defense, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Speaking to reporters, he added that Americans would expect that future presidents should benefit from upgrades to Air Force One.
