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NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: We're getting word that the president-elect is going to be naming Carl Icahn, the takeover artist extraordinaire, he has become multi-billionaire doing just that, buying undervalued assets and then turning those companies around, selling them in pieces or in whole. And that Mr. Icahn would play a central role in selecting the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
He is an adviser on regulatory overhaul. As frequent guest on this show, Mr. Icahn has said the problem isn't with taxes, high as they are, in this country, it's regulations that make it next to impossible for American companies to do business.
Now when it comes to advising on the SEC, there are many Icahn critics who are seizing at that to say it's analogous to the fox selecting who is going to be overseeing the hen house.
Be that as it may, the read right now from the Democrat extraordinaire who could, could be taking on the New York mayor, Bill de Blasio, the CEO of Peebles Corporation, Don Peebles, who recently met with the president- elect. The president-elect is a big fan of his.
What do you think of all of this, Don? We're waiting to hear from Mr. Trump. And he is with a number of admirals and generals. We don't know who, but he has been meeting with a who's who in the defense arena, and seemingly telegraphing when it comes to the defense contractors that they're not sacred.
And this is a Republican and a Republican president who will watch their contracts and watch how much they spend. What do you make of that?
DON PEEBLES, FOUNDER, CHMN., & CEO, THE PEEBLES CORPORATION: Well, Neil, he is being Donald Trump, a businessperson. So he is working. He's working on vacation, which we as businesspeople do. I'm down here in Miami on vacation working. And he is.
CAVUTO: What are you doing? You're working. What are you doing? Because it looks very nice there. You don't seem to be doing much work. I'm kidding.
PEEBLES: Oh, I'm working away on the real estate side and many other things. So, but look, I think the president-elect is focused on understanding how our money is being spent, just like a businessperson would. And he is demanding better value. And he's going to get it.
He is also, you know, focused on making sure that we don't waste our money. So I think those are all very good things that he's bringing some very talented people into his administration. And Carl Icahn is one of the most successful businesspeople on the planet. And to have him advising our president and helping our country is only a good thing.
CAVUTO: You know what's interesting about it, and you're very good at getting the substance and the style down, I think it's very important in politics and government -- and I think sending messages, whether you're president or president-elect, is important.
And the message he seems to be saying to me, and I could be wrong about it, is that you Republicans who think simply because I'm a Republican that I'm not going to look askance at the defense budget, big as it is, think again.
Where I see cost overruns or potential problems, you know, I'm going to be tough. That it's a symbolic kind of thing as well and a reminder to anyone who is going to be working on a government contract, you know, I'm looking at you very closely. What do you think of that?
PEEBLES: Well, I think that's true. And I think that that makes a big difference to know that they're being watched. Look, people who do business with the federal government do it with the expectation that bureaucrats who have no vested financial interest in how the money is spent are making these decisions.
And no one who has real business experience is making those decisions or looking at them. Now that's a whole different story and he's serving notice on that.
He's setting the tone on a number of other things. Look, the fact that he and I had a chance to meet and have a comprehensive discussion about many things, I'm including how to advance economic opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses and the fact that he's very genuine about that.
I think that he's sending messages of what kind of president he's going to be. And so far I like what I'm seeing.
CAVUTO: We should remind people who are looking at that, the fellow on the left earlier on when we were showing a picture was Dennis Muilenburg. He is the head of Boeing, who had just announced after wrapping up a meeting with Mr. Trump that he is looking at redoing that defense contract for Air Force One, actually a couple of jets that would comprise Air Force One, wouldn't be available for years.
But it was the $4 billion-plus price tag that got the president- elect's attention. He said I don't need the darn jet. So keep it or stick it. I don't think he said stick it. But he did say that he was annoyed. So they've obviously pared that down.
Now what's odd about that is he is revisiting contracts that were already signed, sealed, even though they were years away from being delivered. What do you make of that?
PEEBLES: Well, look, contracts should be fair. The federal government and the taxpayers in this country should be treated fairly. And if a contract has been poorly negotiated, it's a very responsible thing to go and encourage these contractors to look at them again because they are looking to do repeat business with the federal government.
CAVUTO: But no one has ever done that. You know, Donnie, you think about it, now you're a successful businessman, but no one has ever done that. We're just used to cost overruns. We're used to things getting out of control. We're used to, oh, you said it would cost a billion, now it's 2 billion. But he seems to be sending the message and he's not even president yet, it's not going to fly.
PEEBLES: Well, look, that's a big difference of having a large-scale businessperson. The last businessperson we had in office was George W. Bush, and he was a relatively smaller business entrepreneur. So we have not had in the country a large-scale businessperson running our government.
And so the benefit of that is that we're going of get someone who is a big thinker, who understands the reality of doing large-scale business, and to put those skills to use for our country.
Think about it. You know, if someone is doing repeat business they're going to want to, you know, keep that line of communication open. And Donald Trump understands that, as a businessperson would, and has gotten them to reconsider.
And I would expect to see that across the board. He's certainly not anybody who as a businessperson has allowed himself to be taken advantage of.
CAVUTO: All right. By the way, that's Marillyn Hewson leaving. She is not stopping to talk to reporters. She is the head of Lockheed Martin. It was the F-35 fighter jet series that was coming under some criticism in a contract that had gone a little overboard.
But she, unlike her counterpart at Boeing, Dennis Muilenburg, not talking to reporters.
Don Peebles, thank you very much. And sorry for all this breaking news in the middle.
PEEBLES: Thank you, Neil.
CAVUTO: In the middle of our discussion here.
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