PRESIDENT TRUMP TARGETS MILITARY PROGRAMS
WEEKS BEFORE TAKING office as President of the United States, Donald Trump spoke out on several key US defense programs, first slamming Boeing for its role in the US Air Force’s bid to field a new Air Force One, before turning his attention to Lockheed Martin and the F-35 program.
Using his seemingly favorite medium of Twitter, Trump suggested that the deal to provide a new Presidential transport for the USAF will cost more than $4 billion. In response, Boeing stated that its current contract with the Air Force is worth $170 million.
Nevertheless, Trump’s words led to a dramatic, if brief, dip in Boeing’s stock. Company shares dropped by just under one per cent minutes after the tweet, falling from $152.16 to $149.75 per share.
While Trump called for the Air Force One order to be cancelled, Boeing responded with a statement outlining the status of the deal: ‘We are currently under contract for $170 million to help determine the capabilities of these complex military aircraft that serve the unique requirements of the President of the United States.’
The statement continued: ‘We look forward to working with the US Air Force on subsequent phases of the program to d…
