Trump slams ‘out of control’ $4bn for new Air Force One

“Cancel order!” he remarked in one of his tweets.

On Tuesday he ridiculed Boeing for building a new Air Force One plane that he claims will cost $4 billion!

Industry executives say they are seeing willingness from the Trump team to take another look at export controls that limit exports of United States weapons. “Frankly, I think we’re going to go up”. Until then, Trump will inherit the aircraft that now transports President Barack Obama, replacing the billionaire’s beloved, gold-trimmed Boeing 757 that flew him across the country during his campaign.

Soon after Trump’s tweet, Boeing’s share reportedly fell by more than 1 percent.

AF1 gives a president a flying White House. Another $127.3m (€118m) was awarded in July. Air Force One also has seating for reporters; Trump generally does not allow the press on his own plane.

New jet is for future presidents, will come into service in 2024. That sale was not publicized by the campaign at the time, and aides did not reveal how much cash it might have generated.

With the current Air Force One fleet, served by Boeing’s heavy model 747-200 aircraft, slated to reach the end of the planned 30-year life in 2017, the White House has been urging the DoD for a replacement. Boy, the fuel bill.

Despite recent revelations that the Pentagon may have been hiding $125 billion in wasteful spending, the Big Three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) all knocked President-Elect Donald Trump Tuesday for tweeting his disapproval of the $4 billion price tag of two new presidential aircraft. The money will come from SoftBank’s previously announced $100 billion technology fund, Bloomberg News reported.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a USA Thank You Tour event at Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S., December 5, 2016. Boeing 747-8 planes average about $225 million each, he said, which means most of the expenses will go to outfitting the planes for presidential use. Transition officials said early Monday that Gore would meet with Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, about climate change, which is Gore’s signature issue.

Air Force One is equipped with hugely expensive equipment including missile defence systems, protection against nuclear explosions, and secure communications devices.

Also in the interview, Mr. Trump said he was going to put together a series of government policies to encourage business growth.

President-elect Donald Trump starts his victory tour at a Carrier plant in IN on December 1, 2016, celebrating Carrier’s decision to keep a thousand jobs slated for Mexico within the United States. “So we’re going to look for areas where we can keep costs down and look for ways where we can save money”.

The US government has already signed a contract with Boeing for $170m (€158m). The new planes will also be equipped for mid-air refueling.

The Government Accountability Office – an independent government auditor – estimated the final cost would be $3.2bn (€2.98bn). The $4 billion figure Trump used is sort of in the ballpark for two planes.