Donald Trump took aim at one of the most visible emblems of the American presidency with his attack on plans for a new Air Force One, turning the iconoclastic message that got him elected on the very office he’ll occupy in six weeks.
In a tweet Tuesday morning, Trump said a contract with Boeing Co. to build two new versions of the presidential plane would be too expensive. He estimated the price to be $4 billion, adding: "Cancel order!"
The missive once again thrust a major U.S. corporation into the president-elect’s cross-hairs. A new version of Air Force One won’t be available until at least 2023, late in Trump’s second term if he is re-elected. 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.
Air Force One, though, is no mere 747. The plane is "an airborne White House," said Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. It is equipped with secure communications, classified defense systems and even an operating room, and is built to be refueled in mid-air and to survive a nuclear war. There is no easy replacement.
"There’s literally no other aircraft like this on planet Earth," Eaglen said.
Kennedy’s Body
The plane is an important symbol of American might and an historic and critical tool of the presidency. John F. Kennedy was the first president to enjoy an airplane built especially for his office, and Air Force One carried his body from Dallas to Washington after he was assassinated. The current incarnation of the plane, a Boeing 747-200B, first flew in 1990. For many Americans, Air Force One’s most memorable recent moment came on Sept. 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush stayed aloft for hours as his advisers frantically sought to determine the nature and scope of terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Because it is not mass-produced, replacing the plane is expensive. Independent analysts say that Trump’s estimate of $4 billion is probably not far off base, though that would be the price tag for two planes. By comparison, the most modern fighter jet in the U.S. inventory, the F-35, is projected to cost about $379 billion for 2,443 aircraft. Boeing is also the only U.S. company that can supply the president’s plane, eliminating competitive pressure on the price.
"It’s either Boeing or Airbus, and there’s no way the president of the United States is going to fly around the world in a European airplane," said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and retired Marine Corps colonel.
Boeing executives contacted Trump transition team officials after the president-elect’s Air Force One tweets, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The company did not have advance notice about the tweets, the people said. They requested anonymity because the discussions were not publicly announced.