Boeing officials this week pledged to work with the incoming Trump administration regarding the costs of the Air Force One program after the president-elect complained about its price tag on Twitter.
“We’re going to get the prices down, and if we don’t get the prices down, we’re not going to order them," Donald Trump told NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday, a day after he characterized the costs of the next round of presidential planes as "out of control."
The Air Force selected Boeing's 747-8 series earlier this year to replace the pair of aircraft currently serving as Air Force One. Negotiations on a final contract with the Chicago-based aerospace giant remain ongoing, but Boeing is scheduled to deliver the new planes in 2024 -- more than 30 years after the current models began their service under President George H. W. Bush.
Trump alleged on Twitter that the program would cost "more than $4 billion." Estimates from the Air Force and Government Accountability Office placed that total closer to $3 billion, but costs to outfit the planes could increase it before they are delivered.
The president-elect and Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg spoke by phone on Tuesday; each sounded optimistic that further talks could help bring the price down.
"We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money," Trump told reporters.
Boeing, meanwhile, issued a statement affirming its commitment "to working with the new administration to control costs as they establish requirements for the new Air Force One."
Company executives told Trump's transition team that reducing the government's requirements for the planes would bring costs down, sources familiar with the talks told Bloomberg.
Critics, however, noted that it was unusual for a president-elect to weigh in on individual procurement efforts and suggested that Trump reacted before fully understanding defense contracts or the specialized role played by Air Force One.
“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," said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who represents thousands of Boeing workers in Washington state.
