Trump frustrated with Air Force One delay, ramps up pressure on Boeing
There's supposed to be a new pair of Boeing 747s coming that will serve as Donald Trump's new Air Force One planes, but they haven't arrived yet.
As a result, Donald Trump is ramping up pressure on Boeing and pressuring them to hurry up and get the planes delivered, according to Fox Business.
The delay is causing Trump to look at alternative plans for getting himself some shiny new planes, including looking at options that might not be so shiny and new.
"Not Happy"
Donald Trump is a very powerful man and one that you probably don't want to upset.
Unfortunately, Boeing appears to be doing just that.
Trump is saying that he's "not happy" with the manufacturing giant.
"I'm not happy with Boeing. It takes them a long time to do, you know, Air Force One. We gave that contract out a long time ago as a fixed price contract, and I'm not happy with the fact that it's taking so long, and we may do something else," Trump recently told reporters onboard the current Air Force One.
"We may go and buy a plane or get a plane or something. But I'm not happy with the fact that it's taking Boeing so long," Trump continued. "There's no excuse for it."
At least one report indicates that the plan could be delayed until at least 2029, or later.
"It is ridiculous that the delivery of a new Air Force One airplane has been delayed for such a long time," Steven Cheung, the White House communications director said. "President Trump is working on identifying ways to speed up the delivery of a new plane, which has been needed for a while."
Alternative options
There are some options that Trump is willing to consider, and some options that he is still refusing.
"I would not consider Airbus over Boeing," Trump indicated.
"But I could buy one that was used and convert it. I could buy one from another country perhaps, or get one from another country," he added. "So we're looking at other alternatives because it’s taking Boeing too long."
It's hard to blame Trump for being upset, and it makes sense why he's putting so much pressure on Boeing to figure things out.
The contract to build these two new Air Force Ones was originally signed in 2018 for $4 BILLION dollars, and the planes were supposed to be delivered by December 2024.
Missing the deadline by a little bit, but with so much at stake here taking an extra FIVE years is simply unacceptable.