WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — President-elect Donald Trump made several brazen statements and promises during the course of his campaign, pledging to keep jobs in America and slash unnecessary expenditures from the country’s budget. His current target?
Air Force One.
The billionaire real estate mogul could be seen hopping from city to city on his private charter while on the campaign trail. His Boeing 757, powered by twin Rolls-Royce engines, seats 43 passengers, has a 16-hour flight range and cruises at speeds of over 500 mph. Inside, the plane’s metal finishes, including the seatbelt buckles, are made completely of 24-karat gold. The palace in the sky also features ample sleeping quarters for multiple guests and a dining area.
However, with his election, Trump could be faced with the harsh reality of giving up his gold-plated airplane for a bigger, far costlier one: Air Fore One.
But the president-elect, like so many times during his campaign, wants the public to know he’s not happy about it. In fact, he wants to scrap plans to upgrade the presidential fleet entirely, in an effort to deliver on his campaign promise to cut spending. He took to his favorite social media vehicle, Twitter, Tuesday morning to speak on the matter.
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 elaborated further on the tweet during a brief Q & A session with reporters at Trump Tower Tuesday. “It’s ridiculous,” he said. “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.”
However, even as president-elect, he has no authority to cancel a government contract until he takes office next month. Moreover, it remains unclear where his $4 billion figure comes from. The Pentagon’s current budget for the next fleet of Air Force Ones is $2.7 billion, according to the military, and the replacement program is still in the early stages of its design phase. The Air Force has only selected a model for the project—a Boeing 747-8. It hasn’t actually ordered any planes yet.
“We are currently under contract for $170 million to help determine the capabilities of this complex military aircraft that serves the unique requirements of the president of the United States,” Boeing said in a statement responding to Trump’s tweet. “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.”
In a separate statement, the Air Force said it was “still conducting risk reduction activities with Boeing to inform the engineering and manufacturing development contract negotiations that will define the capabilities and cost.” The department said that while the current budget was $2.7 billion, “we expect this number to change as the program matures with the completion of the risk reduction activities.”
It would not be unprecedented for a new president to scrap a major defense contract over cost concerns soon after taking office. Trump need only look to President Obama for guidance. In May 2009, the Obama administration cancelled a contract that the Bush administration had signed with Lockheed Martin to build a new fleet for Marine One, the presidential helicopter. The price had ballooned to $13 billion.
There are currently two planes that serve as Air Force One, which are customized Boeing 747-200Bs with the military designation VC-25A. Both aircraft are more than 25 years old, which happens to be the same age as the Boeing 757 that Trump owns, according to Business Insider.
