Tesla CEO and Trump’s number one lil’ guy, Elon Musk, wants to know why it’s taking Boeing so long to convert two 747s into the next Air Force One jets. He stopped by operations for his competitor earlier this week to see what’s what.
The pair of planes that will serve as the next Air Force One are more than $2 billion over budget and years behind schedule. Boeing has chalked that up to design changes, labor constraints and supply chain problems, according to CNBC. Like many messes in DC these days, it actually started with President Trump. He struck a deal with Boeing back in 2017 after threatening to “cancel order!” before he took office, pointing to high costs. Now, Musk is on the job to see what’s what.
Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg sat down with CNBC to discuss the situation:
“We’ve been engaged with Elon” on the Air Force One program to eliminate costs and deliver the aircraft earlier, Ortberg said in an interview with CNBC’s Phil Lebeau on “Squawk on the Street” on Tuesday, after Boeing released full-year results and its 2025 outlook.
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“The president wants those planes sooner so we’re working with Elon to see what can we do to pull up the schedule of those programs,” Ortberg said.
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It is not clear whether the aircraft will be delivered before Trump’s current term is up. An Air Force spokesperson told CNBC that an updated delivery schedule from Boeing is expected in the spring.
Trump cut a cake adorned with a model of Air Force One — in a new paint scheme — with a sword at his Jan. 20 inaugural ball.
The interview went on, with Ortberg telling the outlet that they are “sincerely are looking at things in the contract or in the process that are slowing us down that are not providing value,” according to CNN.
Still, Ortberg says there’s “no silver bullet” for fixing the Air Force One program, CNN reports. He did admit that he does “feel better about our ability” to manage the program’s performance in 2025.
Considering just how sketchy things have been at Boeing for a while now, I personally wouldn’t be to hasty to have the company rush a product. I’ve got bigger things to worry about than when Trump’s new jet will be up and running, but so help them God, if they mess with Robin Egg Blue...