White House defends new Air Force One deal

“I think the American people would expect that future presidents would benefit from unique and upgraded capabilities while flying aboard Air Force One,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on board the presidential plane flying to Tampa, Florida. 

However, it’s up to the Trump administration to determine whether the project will be completed, said Earnest. 

“The updated Air Force One is not set to come online until 2023,” he said. “This is a longer-range plan, but ultimately the planning work that we have done on behalf of future presidents is something the next admin-istration will have to decide to carry forward.” he said. 

“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 tweeted. “We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money,” he then told reporters in a briefing. 

However, the $4-billion price tag Trump claimed for the cost of the new aircraft could not be immediately confirmed. Earnest said some of the data Trump referenced to “don’t appear to re-flect the nature of the financial agreement between Boeing and the De-partment  of Defence.” 

The upgrades to the new plane, which include security enhancements, are being made per the recommendation of national security experts, he added. 

US President-elect Donald Trump urged the government on Tuesday to cancel an order with Boeing Co for a revamped Air Force One, one of the most prominent symbols of the US presidency, saying costs were out of control. It was the latest example of Trump using his podium, often via Twitter messages, to rattle companies and foreign countries as he seeks to shake up business as usual in Washington. Trump, who takes office on Jan 20, took aim at what he called cost overruns even though the plane is only in develop-ment stages.