US President Donald Trump Criticizes Boeing Company Again Over Delayed Presidential Plane Project

US President Donald Trump Criticizes Boeing Company Again Over Delayed Presidential Plane Project

Trump has once again criticized the Boeing company over its failure to complete the new presidential plane project, which he approved during his first term in office.

According to a report by the Associated Press on Monday, Trump visited a Boeing aircraft at the Palm Beach International Airport in Florida to inspect the new hardware and technology. The visit highlighted the delay in delivering the new 'Air Force One' planes as promised.

Trump told reporters during his visit that the service received from Boeing has been unsatisfactory for these planes... They have to build a product, and they said they would do it at a certain price. But they didn't deliver on their promise.

The presidential plane project was initially approved by Trump in 2016 when he became the first president-elect to criticize Boeing's proposal for the new Air Force One aircraft, which exceeded $40 billion and threatened to cancel the order. After Trump personally negotiated with Boeing, the company agreed to build two planes at a cost of $39 billion.

Trump had hoped that the new presidential plane would be delivered by 2021 and wanted to change the traditional blue and white livery to include red. However, after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, Trump's plans were put on hold.

The project has been delayed due to various factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages, design and manufacturing issues, and supply chain problems. The latest timeline indicates that the first plane will be delivered by 2027 at the earliest, with the second plane to follow in 2028.

Since Trump's re-election, he has maintained interest in the project, cutting a cake featuring a Boeing aircraft with blue and red colors on Inauguration Day. Boeing CEO David Calhoun revealed that Elon Musk, head of the government efficiency department, is involved in the project to expedite its delivery.

Musk is also leading a team to help Trump root out fraud and waste in federal government agencies and eliminate unnecessary personnel and departments.

Boeing has been plagued by issues related to aircraft safety incidents and manufacturing problems, which have led to significant financial losses. The company claims that the delay in the presidential plane project has resulted in losses of at least $20 billion due to fixed-price contracts. Boeing's former CEO, Dave Calhoun, stated that the 'Air Force One' project... went through extremely unique negotiations with a set of extremely unique risks, and Boeing may not have been expected to bear those risks.

Trump's criticism has put pressure on Boeing to complete the project, which is already facing significant challenges.